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Parties Today
For and Against (Text Version) Parties Past (Text Version)
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Political Parties
This may look like a line up for tonight's
concert, but guess again! These are but a few of the many political
parties that have played a role in American presidential elections.
With names like Whig, Anti-Mason, and Green, these parties may sound
more like household cleaners or new wave bands than political powers.
However, the diverse conditions of historical eras, and differing
ideologies of America's people gave rise to these political parties,
founded to advance specific ideals and the candidates who represented
them.
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Today, America is a multi-party system. The
Democratic
Party and the Republican
Party are the most powerful. Yet other parties, such as the Reform,
Libertarian, Socialist,
Natural Law, Constitution
and Green Parties
can promote candidates in a presidential election. It is likely
that political parties will continue to play a major role in presidential
elections in the new millennium. Do you think our party system has
strengthened or weakened our election process? Do you think the
American People will seriously look outside the Republican and Democratic
Parties to elect a president some day? What might cause this?
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No Parties Here
Our founding fathers had seen vicious
fighting among political interests in Europe, and wanted
to avoid this in the new nation. As the framers of the Constitution,
they were very concerned about not creating crippling dissension
within our political system. On
Saturday, June 2, 1787, Ben Franklin took the floor at
the Constitutional Convention as a skeptic. Franklin feared
that greed-driven competition for the presidency would divide
the new American government into factions. He warned,
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There are two passions which have a powerful
influence on the affairs of men. These are ambition and avarice; the
love of power, and the love of money. ...Place before the eyes of
such men a post of honor, that shall be at the same time a place of
profit, and they will move heaven and earth to obtain it. The vast
number of such places ...renders the British government so tempestuous.
...[and is the true source] of all those factions which are perpetually
dividing the nation [and] distracting its councils... |
On Wednesday,
June 6, 1787, just a few days later, James Madison weighed in
by saying that if unregulated,
| All civilized societies would be divided
into different sects, factions, and interests, ...of rich and poor,
debtors and creditors, ... the inhabitants of this district or that
district, the followers of this political leader or that political
leader, the disciples of this religious sect or that religious sect.
In all cases where a majority are united by a common interest or
passion, the rights of the minority are in danger. |
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In order to avoid factions, the
Constitution
grants political parties no role in selecting a president. Ironically,
political factions sprang up right away to support the Constitution
and to oppose it. By the presidental election of 1796, political
parties were firmly in place in America. The Federalists followed
Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. The Democratic-Republicans
(also called the Jeffersonians) followed Thomas Jefferson and James
Madison -- the very James Madison who had earlier warned against
factions.
Today the party system seems
firmly entrenched. Some Americans might argue that there is no real
difference between the ideals and political stance of today's parties.
Other Americans routinely vote a "party ticket" in their
belief that a particular political party will best represent their
wishes for governing the nation. In light of the role played by
today's political parties, do you think our founding fathers' concerns
about creating factions was warranted? Does our current party system
give adequate voting choice to most Americans? What do you think
the future might hold for America's party system?
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