History Test

I heard an interesting exchange on the radio this afternoon:

Caller: "…black people act as individuals…"
Host: "Except when they vote. They vote 90% for one party."
Caller: "Well, that's because of history."

Now that caught my ear. I always thought that some of the groups that vote en masse for the Democrats did so in spite of history (the black vote especially). I mean really. Let's take a short history test:

Which party was it that prosecuted the Civil War and emancipated the slaves? Which party voted in a higher percentage for the Civil Rights Act (80% to 63%) and pushed for the 15th Amendment? Which party elected the first black Senator, the first black US Representative, the first black US Representative (post-reconstruction), and appointed the first black governor, the first black ambassador, the first black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first black Secretary of State, and the first black woman Secretary of State?

Now, which party opposed the Civil War, were pro-slavery, opposed Reconstruction and wrote Jim Crow laws, were pro-segregation, opposed and filibustered the Civil Rights Act, repeatedly plays the race card and has delivered almost nothing (other than entitlements) to Black Americans in exchange for their unquestioned loyalty?

Hmmm…

I'll never understand how little actual history (or the long-term future for that matter) matters to people as they live in the here and now. But I do know that if I were black, the record of the Democrats (minus a few very visible Democrat Presidents) would embarrass me and I'd be part of the 10% that votes independently.