The Republican party wasn't opposed to slavery.They believed Southern states had the right to maintain their slavery system but,didn't want slavery to migrate to the North.The Republican party didn't even oppose southern lynching laws.The Republican party was always the party of Big Business and their biggest concern was that the differences between the North and the South on the slavery issue and economics would eventually lead to the South seceding from the union.Wealth in the North was based on how many factories you owned and the South how many slaves you owned.The North had 5 times the factories than the South.The wealthy in the North didn't want to lose the Southern states as their base.America needs an FDR more today than ever.Democrats are opposed to "Free Markets" as was the North in the days of pre-Civil War Era days and as the South was not.Americas economic collapse today is proof of that.

Blacks were hung by Racists.The people of the south the same people that promote hatred and ignorance hands down vote Republican today.Both parties have at one point or another used fear and division to get them to vote for their candidates.Doesn't matter if your talking about Lincoln,Kennedy or Reagan.The GOP has done a better jobs of rallying and tugging on their heart strings.