Political parities in the United States are established or mentioned in the Constitution. The Founding Fathers never envisioned the two party system that the U.S. has today. The two main political parties in the United States are the Democratic and Republican parties. The Democratic party is known as the left of center party while the Republican party is known as the right of center party.
Democratic Party
The Democratic party is the older of the two parities, originating from the Democratic-Republican party of Thomas Jefferson. The first Democratic President was Andrew Jackson who elected in 1828, defeating President John Quincy Adams. The ideals of the Democratic Party have evolved over time from being a party that championed states rights, to becoming the conservative pro-slavery party of the south, and then to becoming the liberal champions of a stronger Federal government. Some notable Democratic Presidents who are often regarded as "great" are Franklin D. Roosevelt of the Great Depression Era, John F. Kennedy, who led the U.S. through the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Bill Clinton who shifted the position of the Democratic Party from the left to the center in order to win more support from the public. The current leader of the Democratic Party is widely regarded as President Barack Obama who has shifted the police agenda of the democrats from the center back toward the left by championing universal health care and immigration reform with a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. |
Republican Party
The Republican Party originated as anti-slavery party whose goal was to stop the expansion of slavery into new territories. Also known as the Grand Ole Party or GOP, the Republican Party is the second oldest political party in the U.S. The first Republican President was Abraham Lincoln who lead the United States through the Civil War. The ideals of the Republican Party have shifted over time from an anti-slavery party, to a liberal, pro-progressive agenda during the Progressive Era, to an anti-civil rights party, and finally, to a conservative party that champions states states rights and individual freedoms. Some notable Republican Presidents are Abrahma Lincoln, who the U.S. the Civil War, Teddy Roosevelt, who pushed for many Progressive reforms, and Ronald Reagan, who strgethened U.S. foreign policy and contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Republican Party currently has not effective leader because they do not occupy the White House, however leaders could be considered Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. the Republicans have currently been pushing a conservative agenda of lower taxes, less spending, and a strong military. |