re: #17 Feline Fearless Leader
Tide turned before that. Probably about 1856 when it was becoming clear that the Republicans were going to continue making inroads and gain ground as the Democrats continued to split on regional issues (e.g. slavery).
1861-1865 was simply the tantrum from a political power group refusing to consider losing ground gracefully.
Makes me wonder what the next “temper tantrum” is going to look like.