Essay Example on History of Political Parties

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History of Political Parties Each individual comes from a different story and he or she has their own perspective on the world Thus it is easy to see how different factions or parties of individuals with unique views emerged in the formation of government The creation of the two party system is comparable to a drop of water in the ocean it seems unharmful but the ripple effect will be most prominent in American History The longest running and current main political parties are the Democrats and the Republicans The exceptional changes in these parties throughout history have made the Democrat and Republican parties what they are today The Democratic Party was formed in 1824 after Andrew Jackson did not win the election although he did win the popular vote Because he was a war hero many citizens looked up to him and his views for the common man Slavery was the first major issue the party took on Many of the democrats of the time were southerners or lived in rural areas Most of the members of the Democratic party were slave owners and used them for business this would explain why they were adamant for pro slavery

Eventually the Democratic Party took on many of the issues the Populist Party had advocated for including labor standards and social programs to benefit the needy However The New Deal Era brought the largest change for the Democratic Party They changed from wanting small government to large government with Franklin D Roosevelt s plan to change social issues and welfare Reform to appeal to minorities and women was the final milemarker in the changes of the Democratic party In an effort to gain a large backing the party created many policies benefiting the previously disadvantaged groups The once pro slavery party has evolved into an almost unrecognizable party They currently support having a lot of control in the central government They typically are advocating for higher taxes as they trust the central government with this money to take care of everyone enact social programs and create a universal health care Democrats today also support a less strict interpretation of the constitution and would like to have more open mindedness with what the laws say relating to the modern day This is shown in highly contraversial issues such as second amendment rights where Democrats tend to believe in gun control Their views also support more socially progressive policies such as gay marriage abortion rights and immigration

The Republican Party was formed in the late 1840 s as the combination of abolitionist Democrats and Northern Whigs Their first main divisive issue with the democrats was slavery Abolition in opposition to the Democratic party is the first driving belief of the Republican party This ties into the demographics of the party as slaves were not as common in the North where most Republicans resided Due to their stance on slavery many African Americans sided the Republican party when they obtained the right to vote After winning many elections in the early 1900 s the Great Depression we saw a rejuvenation of the Democratic Party This could be tied to the party losing many minority votes as the Democratic Party pushed for inclusive legislation to help minorities The current Republican Party focuses on individual liberties and freedoms This includes their beliefs in the strict interpretation of the constitution and fuels their views on the protection of guns Republicans support a smaller central government and keeping money with the people This is why they believe in smaller taxes for individuals as well as corporations They support limiting the amount of social and welfare programs the country spends money on including universal healthcare They are also less accepting of socially progressive ideas such as gay marriage and women s health rights Throughout the United States short history the main political parties have changed dramatically Democratic and Republican Parties both starting as responses to the issue of slavery have both developed into groups of people with fully encompassing platforms

When we look at how much these parties have changed from conception it almost seems like the only things kept the same are the Parties names By looking at the history of these two parties we can gain a more thorough understanding of our political system and how it came to be History of Political Parties T Chart Democrats Republicans History Formed in 1824 after Jackson s did not win the election but did win the popular vote Pro Slavery Mostly consisted of individuals in rural areas and southerners Takes on populist view New Deal coalition sparks the transition of small government platform to large switch of platforms Party reform to appeal to less privileged Formed in the late 1840 s as the combination of abolitionist Democrats and northern Whigs Anti Slavery Mostly consisted of northerners and had most of the minority vote After winning many elections in the early 1900 s the Great Depression saw a rejuvenation of the democratic party Current Big Government Higher Taxes More social programs Fluidity of constitution Socially progressive Pro immigration Universal Health Care Small Government Lower Taxes Less money spent on social programs Strict interpretation of constitution Socially traditional Anti immigration Privatized Health Care

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