The 35 ths compromise came about 90 years prior to the Republicans ' existence ? What does that have to do with the price of tea in China ? The Republicans you may recall , formed as a party specifically in opposition to slavery . When the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 , it received far more Democratic opposition in both the House and Senate , including Congressmen who continued to serve into the 21 st century , and Democrat members of the KKK . Republicans on the other hand , overwhelmingly supported it . We ' re not exactly talking about ancient history here , but events in living memory . I think it ' s no mystery which party presently makes race front and center a conscious part of how they conduct policy in choosing winners and losers . Racial discrimination and identity politics are among their raisons d ' tre to this day , much as it has been since the Civil War era , including their active championing of the minimum wage as a major platform plank of what is and remains the shameful legacy of Jim Crow .