When I bring up political party accomplishments to friends and family, many cite this era (circa 1910s) as a time where previous accomplishments of the Republican Party platform can be attributed to the modern day Democratic Party. I need to discover what happened during this period of time to determine how I view history and the people involved in American historical events.

No, I'm not looking for ammunition to win political arguments. I'm interested to know the truth about the two major American political parties and how we view the progress that America has gained in the past 200 years.