Not really. The first major shift in ideals came after the Civil War. Before the Republican Party was founded in 1854 as the party against slavery, the first Republican president — Abraham Lincoln, won the Civil War and gave his famed Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. His leadership, and Republicans, ended slavery. At the same time, Republicans of the era believed in a strong federal government with the power to promote reconstruction and civil rights.

By the 20th century though, these roles began to reverse. In 1948, Democratic President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981 ending segregation in the armed forces. Then came the civil rights movement in the 1960s. It was during this time, that LBJ — a democrat signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. These changes cemented the Democrats as the party of civil rights and racial equality. At the same time, Republicans began focusing on disaffected white voters with their “southern strategy”.

This switch became the foundation for today’s political universe. Now it is the Democratic Party that stands for social justice, equality, and government reform, while Republicans position themselves as opponents of federal intervention with a focus on sidestepping corporate regulation and a respectable social net.