The so-called “party switch” has been repeated so often it’s treated like a settled fact. But when you set aside the popular retelling and look directly at the historical record, the picture changes. The core philosophies of the two parties have been far more consistent than many realize:
Republicans have generally advanced civil rights, limited government, and individual liberty.
Democrats, even when their language evolved, often defended systems of control — whether those systems were slavery, segregation, or bureaucratic dependence.
