Although Cannon referred to the history of political parties, the reality is more complex. While it is true that sectors of the Democratic Party were responsible for the rise of the KKK after the Civil War, it cannot be stated that the entire party endorsed it. The Republican Party, founded by anti-slavery activists, was the one that promoted the abolition of slavery with Abraham Lincoln. The political history of the United States is a network of ideologies that evolve over time.
In 1861, Abraham Lincoln, of the Republican Party, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. However, it was not until 1865, with the approval of the 13th Amendment, that slavery was abolished in the United States.