The KKK was crucial to building GOP strength in the South

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Busted!

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Republicans were fighting back in the 1860's for the liberation of the slaves while the Democrats were fighting to keep the slaves in chains every step of the way.

Yep.

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Republicans were fighting back in the 1860's for the liberation of the slaves while the Democrats were fighting to keep the slaves in chains every step of the way.

Yep.

Thank you for completely and unequivocally endorsing and supporting my statement.

It is so nice to see someone who understands and appreciates real and true historic facts for a change.

We all know Republicans fought the slavery years ago.

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I'd be surprised if you found many posters here with red avatars who would not have been proud Republicans in roughly the 20 years between 1855 and 1875. Any decent person would have been.

While that's true (at least I hope so), the annoying part is when said avatars make the following conclusion: I am a liberal now --> I would have been a Republican then --> the Republican Party was a strictly liberal party then.  Needless to say, this is comically simplistic, but it also ignores things like early Republicans trying restrict voting rights of poor Whites in the North, support for prohibition and sin taxes and clear pro-business tendencies.

An important point. Republicans always represented banking and industrial interests. Regarding prohibition and sin taxes: They were a progressive element in that era (trying to prevent the destruction of family life in working class families and improve living conditions, especially for women and children). Cheap alcohol was a curse in that type of society. Prohibition proved to be a disaster, but it was to a large extent a progressive cause.

Interestingly, though, the fight for the 1924 Democratic nomination was between a "dry" candidate, supported by conservative and reactionary forces, including the KKK (McAdoo), and a "wet" progressive (Smith).

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I'd be surprised if you found many posters here with red avatars who would not have been proud Republicans in roughly the 20 years between 1855 and 1875. Any decent person would have been.

While that's true (at least I hope so), the annoying part is when said avatars make the following conclusion: I am a liberal now --> I would have been a Republican then --> the Republican Party was a strictly liberal party then.  Needless to say, this is comically simplistic, but it also ignores things like early Republicans trying restrict voting rights of poor Whites in the North, support for prohibition and sin taxes and clear pro-business tendencies.

An important point. Republicans always represented banking and industrial interests. Regarding prohibition and sin taxes: They were a progressive element in that era (trying to prevent the destruction of family life in working class families and improve living conditions, especially for women and children). Cheap alcohol was a curse in that type of society. Prohibition proved to be a disaster, but it was to a large extent a progressive cause.

Interestingly, though, the fight for the 1924 Democratic nomination was between a "dry" candidate, supported by conservative and reactionary forces, including the KKK (McAdoo), and a "wet" progressive (Smith).

The greater irony is that McAdoo was a Progressive like Wilson was a Progressive. And Al Smith later broke with FDR over the New Deal. The economically progressive wing of the Democratic Party always had a firmer base in the South then the North until the time of FDR.

Indeed. Obviously, McAdoo was in better position to appeal to said party wing in 1924, given his Southern roots and, well, having Smith as opponent.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I'd be surprised if you found many posters here with red avatars who would not have been proud Republicans in roughly the 20 years between 1855 and 1875. Any decent person would have been.

While that's true (at least I hope so), the annoying part is when said avatars make the following conclusion: I am a liberal now --> I would have been a Republican then --> the Republican Party was a strictly liberal party then.  Needless to say, this is comically simplistic, but it also ignores things like early Republicans trying restrict voting rights of poor Whites in the North, support for prohibition and sin taxes and clear pro-business tendencies.

An important point. Republicans always represented banking and industrial interests. Regarding prohibition and sin taxes: They were a progressive element in that era (trying to prevent the destruction of family life in working class families and improve living conditions, especially for women and children). Cheap alcohol was a curse in that type of society. Prohibition proved to be a disaster, but it was to a large extent a progressive cause.

Interestingly, though, the fight for the 1924 Democratic nomination was between a "dry" candidate, supported by conservative and reactionary forces, including the KKK (McAdoo), and a "wet" progressive (Smith).

The greater irony is that McAdoo was a Progressive like Wilson was a Progressive. And Al Smith later broke with FDR over the New Deal. The economically progressive wing of the Democratic Party always had a firmer base in the South then the North until the time of FDR.

Indeed. Obviously, McAdoo was in better position to appeal to said party wing in 1924, given his Southern roots and, well, having Smith as opponent.

That is true, but from Bryan to Wilson to McAdoo, the Populist/Progressive wing of the Democratic Party is largely a Southern and Western based movement. THis doesn't change until the one two punch of FDR's appeal to second generation of the wave of immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th century, and the break up of Tammany Hall and similar Irish dominated Democratic machines.

McAdoo's exit from the stage was just as ironic. If I remember correctly, he was defeated in his 1938 Senate primary by Upton Sinclair's ticket mate who then turned around and forged an alliance with big oil and became a Conservative Democrat in the Senate for the next twelve years. His defeat was one of the many primary reversals (one of the few where his guy was the incumbent) for FDR in 1938.

There was a huge personal resentment Smith felt towards FDR since at least 1932 nomination contest.

Roosevelt was reputed to say: "I don't understand what his problem is. We are doing exactly the same he would do if he were President".