Changing Political Parties

For over 200 years people have argued about whether or not political parties are helpful, or even healthy. In 1879 during his farewell address the first president of the united states of American George Washington warned that….” The common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it”. Even with all the controversy that surrounds, the American two-party- system hasn’t faulted, from challenges of third parties to changes in our society, it has again and again proven itself as a strong system. One good thing about the two-party- system is that each political party helps voters make sense of our country’s political scene, by working to get voters more involved by using specific platforms that are important to that certain party’s constitutes. So that voters can fully evaluate each candidate and choose the one they feel is best to be an advocate for the platforms that closely relate to their specific beliefs. On the bad side the two-party-system is just that, only allowing voters two parties to choose from, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, each with its own specific platforms, and its views on current issues. This limits choices of the voters by only allowing them to see the world in two colors, red for republican and blue for democrats, thus leaving out all the others on a color spectrum. At times it can be difficult to choose between the different parties,

Generally speaking, anyone who lives in the United States of America knows that there are two main political parties—the Republicans and the Democrats. Having two main parties has its advantages and, of course, its disadvantages. For example, in By the People James E. Monroe and Rogan Kersh (301) point out having this type of system creates “predictability and stability.” However, they also declare (301) it can “lead to a gridlock.” This is not a new concept either as there has been a divide since the beginning of both parties. The two parties more often than not disagree on various issues, while rarely agreeing on what is best for the country.

Unlike parties in many other countries, political parties in the U.S. are relatively weak in terms of their ability to mobilize voters to register and ultimately vote on election- day. This inability to mobilize voters has direct correlation to the fact that membership and affiliation in political

Regime Parties and Realignments- The topic of party realignment was one that was brought up during lecture. Critical realignment theory has stated that some Presidents have played a larger role in the realignment of their parties. The definition of a critical realignment is when the parties and the issues that are at the forefront of the American attention change. Realignments have often been the result of a pressing issue coming to the forefront of Americas attention and allowing for third parties to arise and challenge the two major parties of that era. They often cause huge strains on the ideology and strength of the party because these issues cause rifts within the party weakening its structure. Richard Hofstadter recognized that a new issues arose around the elections of 1800, 1828, 1860, 1896, and 1932 and that the Presidents who won those elections all benefited by taking a stance on that issue.

“...We here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us… that the nation, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people for the people shall not perish from the earth.”- Abraham Lincoln. This quote essentially summarizes the

A Political Party is defined as “a formal coalition of interests joined together to get their candidates for public office elected under a common label and agenda.” Political Parties, over time, have seemed to do more harm than good for our nation. The founders of America never even intended for this nation to be separated into two different Political Parties. “There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.” John Adams, The Works Of John Adams, Second President Of The United States.

     For hundreds of years, the two party system has dominated the American culture, but many people are confused by what a two party system actually means. Although a two party system is defined as two parties that are bigger than the rest, third parties have greatly impacted elections for over a hundred years. Minor parties still continuously voice their opinions in issues, causing other candidates of either major party to adopt their philosophies. Furthermore, some parties, such as the Reform have actually been successful in obtaining a position, such as governor. Finally, third party candidates have actually taken away votes from a number of nominees over the years.

In the forefront of the political system in the US are the two major parties; the liberal Democrats and the conservative Republicans. While each party strives for peace and prosperity of the United States, they have many different views on topics that are always in people’s minds including; gun control, immigration, health care and many others. These parties have evolved through hundreds of years of competition and ideas from all over the world into the modern parties that we now have.

Since the writing of the United States Constitution, the American government has been structured in a way that only truly allows for two parties. Of course there are numerous other smaller parties, however, the key is that these parties are smaller. The most successful way to become elected to a position in the American governmental structure is to have the backing of the Democratic or Republican Party. Over the two-hundred-year history of the United States the parties have changed names and fundamentally altered their core believes. Today, the distinction has become quite clear as the rise of polarization forces a clear, concise difference between the two parties. The Democrats must uphold the liberal ideals while the Republican Party carters to those of a conservative

During the nineteenth century, the United States was undergoing a series of changes that would greatly impact the way society viewed and dealt with politics. Two factors of this change involved the development of internal improvements such as the Erie Canal and the way influential politicians like Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay responded to them. Carol Sherriff explores the former factor in her book The Artificial River: The Erie Canal and the Paradox of Progress, 1817-1862. She discusses how the Erie brought about conflicting changes in the economics, politics, and society of New York and the different reactions to these changes and looks at how the Erie affected the daily lives of the Americans living along it and how they envisioned progress. Harry Watson examines another part of the change by looking at the men describing their political ideas in Andrew Jackson vs. Henry Clay: Democracy and Development in Antebellum America by discussing their ideologies and how they thought democracy and development related to one another.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, said on November 19, 1863 in his Gettysburg Address: “Government of the people, by the people, and for the people”. This wonderful president would not have been president if it weren’t for the votes of the American society. All citizens of America are involved in American democracy, which is based on the idea that the government is run by the people. A democratic government requires that the citizens vote. America today has the there are Democratic and Republican parties, as well as other minor parties. These parties, and the right to vote, give us the liberty to choose our governmental leaders.

In the United States of America, our bipartisan form of government is crucial to how we run our federal government. It is very important to some people to personally associate with a party, because it is a large part of their political identity, and how they vote. In the age of straight ticket voting, and the opposite split-ticket voting, there are many people who are uneducated voters who vote simply based off of a small “R” or a “D” next to a candidate’s name. When I turn 18 I will most likely register either as a Democrat or an independent not under any political party.

While gearing up for the 2016 election, it was extremely clear that this election was going to be a turning point in American politics. Ever since the 2016 Presidential candidates started campaigning over a year ago, one thing is becoming very clear: America’s two-party political system is in disarray. “Party systems in the United States are inherently unstable. Because it is a two-party system, the party that wins is the party that builds the biggest coalition. But the bigger the coalition, the more unstable it is” (Drutman). The struggle is finding solutions to fix it. It definitely did not help that businessman Donald Trump became president. Currently, there are two main parties in the United States federal system: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. There are also many third party alternatives that are struggling to change the way we look at politics.

The people of America and their government each owe their commitment to obey certain obligations to each other. Since each component of the nation must work together in order for it to function properly, the people and those governing them each have essential duties they must obey to sustain an efficiently operating country. The “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” (Lincoln) both serves the people and is served by the people.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote in the Declaration of Independence, “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Today, this quote stands tall in defining and describing the type of government the United States has created for the people. A democracy is a supreme power