How Did the Party of Lincoln Become the Party of Trump?

The GOP has morphed into an unscrupulous monster

Photo by ElevenPhotographs on Unsplash

The first Black congressman, senator, and governor in U.S. history were all Republicans.

The Republican Party passed the constitutional amendments ending slavery and codifying equal protection under the law. Proudly carrying the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, Republicans sought to reconstruct the South into a land of racial equality.

For several decades, it was the Democratic Party that restricted African American ballot access to win elections. Democratic voters were the ones who sympathized with the Ku Klux Klan.

Oh, how times have changed. But how on earth did the parties diverge so drastically?

Faustian Bargain

A seismic political realignment in America occurred during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Under activist pressure, Lyndon Johnson’s Democratic Party gradually adopted the platform of desegregation and voting rights.

This caused millions of resentful white Southerners to jump ship and look for a new political home. The GOP discovered it could win back power by selling its soul.

Using race-baiting rhetoric, Richard Nixon promised to restore “law and order” and “states’…