the major political parties in the United States

the major political parties in the United States today and the major political parties of this period Maia Briana and Wayne

The Democratic Party o o o The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the usa, along with the. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U. S. political spectrum , the party’s platform is considered center-left. The Democratic Party has the most registered voters of any party as of 2004, with 72 million voters. Polls taken over the last decade indicate 3436% of American voters self-identify as Democrats. Since the 2006 general elections , the Democratic Party has been the majority party in both the house of representatives and the united states senate. Democrats also hold a majority of at state govern ships and control a majority of state legislatures , as well as the oval office in the white house. Barak Obama, the current president of the united states, is the 15 th Democrat to hold the office.

The Republican Party o o o The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the us, along with the democratic party. founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. The party’s platform is generally considered right of center in the U. S. political spectrum. The Republican Party has the second most registered voters as of 2004 with 55 million, encompassing roughly one-third of the electorate Polls over the last two years have found that twenty to thirty-four percent of Americans self-identify as Republicans. There have been eighteen Republican presidents , compared to 15 Democrats. Republicans currently fill a minority of seats in both the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, hold a minority of state governorships, and control a minority of state legislatures.

Anti-Federalists o o Leading nationalists, led by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin (see Annapolis Convention), called the Constitutional Convention in 1787. It drew up a new constitution that was submitted to state ratification conventions for approval. (The old Congress of the Confederation approved the process. ) James Madison was the most prominent figure; he is often referred to as "the father of the Constitution. An intense debate on ratification pitted the "Federalists" against the "Anti. Federalists, " with the former gaining the upper hand. The Anti-Federalists were deeply concerned about theoretical danger of a strong central government (like that of Britain) that some day could usurp the rights of the states. Madison and Alexander Hamilton countered toward a strong central government, especially those promoted by Hamilton. The term "Federalist Party" originated around 179293 and refers to a somewhat different coalition of supporters of the Constitution in 1787 -88 as well as entirely new elements, and even some opponents of the Constitution (such as Patrick Henry). Madison largely wrote the Constitution and thus was a Federalist in 1787 -88, but opposed the program of the Hamiltonians and their new "Federalist Party.

Democratic-Republican Party o o o o At first, there were no parties in the nation. Factions soon formed around dominant personalities such as Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, who opposed Hamilton's broad vision of a powerful federal government. Jefferson especially objected to Hamilton's flexible view of the Constitution, which Hamilton stretched to include a national bank. Washington was re-elected without opposition in 1792. Hamilton built a national network of supporters that emerged about 1792– 93 as the Federalist Party. In response, Jefferson and James Madison built a network of supporters of the republic in Congress and in the states that emerged in 1792 -93 as the Democratic-Republican Party. The elections of 1792 were the first to be contested on anything resembling a partisan basis. In most states, the congressional elections were recognized in some sense, as Jefferson strategist John Beckley put it, as a "struggle between the Treasury department and the republican interest. " In New York, the race for governor was organized along these lines. The candidates were John Jay, who was a Hamiltonian, and incumbent George Clinton, who was allied with Jefferson and the Republicans. In 1793, the first Democratic-Republican Societies were formed. They supported the French Revolution, which had just seen the execution of King Louis XI, and generally supported the Jeffersonian cause. The word "democrat" was proposed by Citizen Genet for the societies, and the Federalists ridiculed Jefferson's friends as "democrats. " After Washington denounced the societies as unrepublican, they mostly faded away. In 1793, war broke out between England, France, and their European allies. The Jeffersonians favored France and pointed to the 1778 treaty that was still in effect. Washington and his unanimous cabinet (including Jefferson) decided the treaty did not bind the U. S. to enter the war; instead Washington proclaimed neutrality. When war threatened with Britain in 1794, Washington sent John Jay to negotiate the Jay treaty with Britain; it was signed in late 1794, and ratified in 1795. It averted a possible war and settled many (but not all) the outstanding issues between the U. S. and Britain. , the Jeffersonians vehemently denounced it, saying it threatened to undermine republicanism by giving the aristocratic British and their Federalist allies too much influence. The fierce debates over the Jay Treaty in 1794 -96 according to William Nisbet Chanbers, nationalized politics and turned a faction in Congress into a nationwide party. To fight the treaty the Jeffersonians "established coordination in activity between leaders at the capital, and leaders, actives and popular followings in the states, counties and towns. In 1796 Jefferson challenged John Adams for the presidency and lost. The Electoral College made the decision, and it was largely chosen by the state legislatures, many of which were not chosen on a national party basis.