President-elect Donald Trump calls the recent election results the most historic in U.S. history. Although that may be an exaggeration, it is worthwhile looking at past major political realignments to gain an historical perspective

The First (and greatest) Political Realignment in America took place at our founding.

Prior to that, Americans were subjects of the King of England. Although there were a few representative governments scattered around the world, none were of great size or economic importance.

The founding, with our Constitution, bicameral legislature, and three-branch government, presented an immense experiment. No political realignment in our history matched its size and scope.

This new and fragile experiment began with a nearly fatal flaw.

To secure the participation of certain Southern states, the founders had to agree to allow slavery, subject to its abolition in 20 years.

Not that the Founders favored slavery, but rather they recognized that forcing the issue into the new, but fragile Republic would most likely destroy the Republic itself — before it had time to mature.

Twenty years passed, and Congress punted down the road another 20 years.

The Republic continued to grow rapidly and matured to the point that it could face its nearly fatal flaw. So, four generations after the founding, or in Mr. Lincoln’s words, “Four score and seven years” later, our Second Political Realignment took place — just prior to and through the Civil War.

The newly formed Republican Party favored slavery’s abolition while the South, represented by the Democrat Party opposed it. This realignment held steady until about another four generations passed.

After the 1929 stock market crash and as the Great Depression ensued, Franklin Delano Roosevelt appeared on the national political scene.

With him came the Third Political Realignment. He developed a political majority by combining a number of disaffected groups that government could better serve, with common elements being women, minorities, and the “working man.”

The Democrats campaigned on social and economic justice issues, and the Republicans campaigned on smaller government and balanced budgets.

The Democrat strategy found favor with a majority of voters, and it prevailed in Congress for most of the next 80 years.

However, over the decades the Democrat Party drifted radically left on policy initiatives and paid less attention to the core interests of its base constituents. Government regulations and edicts replaced consensus building.

Donald Trump stepped into that void to capture the original FDR coalition. He emphasized common sense policies that particularly benefit “working class families,” as well as social policies more consistent with the nation’s cultural values and heritage.

Trump effectively remade the old G.O.P., and the shift may well constitute a Fourth Political Realignment. The president elect has four years to complete this construction project — and he knows it.

The GOP’s nickname may have to change to the Party of Common Sense.

Although this realignment does not rank as highly as those led by Washington/Jefferson and Lincoln, its importance should be ranked with FDR’s.