Yep, if I recall my US history correctly, it was the GOP that was the progressive one wanting to get rid of slavery and Democrats were the opposing ones.
Indeed. And there have been many, many re-alignments. The GOP was still the party of civil rights until after the 1960s, and then abortion forced a schism between the southern democrats and the democratic party, which led to the GOP increasingly being "the states right" party.
The democratic party after the Civil War was was the political wing of the KKK, in a similar relationship of Sinn Fein to the IRA.
The democratic party after the Civil War was was the political wing of the KKK, in a similar relationship of Sinn Fein to the IRA.