Republicans used to be more like what we consider to be Democrats, and Democrats used to be like Republicans. How and why did the switch happen?

by indecentdisclosure

I've heard that in the 1800s that Republicans were more progressive and that Democrats were conservative and that somewhere along the line, they switched to what we know as the modern parties today. How, when, and why?

Searocksandtrees

hi! not discouraging other contributions, but fyi, you can get started on this in the FAQ (link on sidebar):

Changing role of Republicans and Democrats