what is the history of the democrats and republicans?

Question

thanks!

Answer 1

The first two political parties in the United States were the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Constitution that the leading politicians of these two parties drew up in Philadelphia in 1787 was a compromise agreement among the three leading classes that had fought the British government: the Southern slave-holders, the Northern commercial bourgeoisie, and the petty-bourgeois proprietors of town and country.

The Northern representatives favored a strong central government with a national bank. They later became known as Federalists. The Southerners were generally critical of those demands and were known as Anti-Federalists.

A strong central government and a national bank would give the Northern bourgeoisie control of the new government. The planters favored a loose union so that they could have unrestricted hegemony over their slave system. However, they realized that a strong government was necessary to enable them to enforce their control over the source of their wealth – 757,000 slaves. The Northerners made concessions in order to assure the support of the Southern planters.

The various positions put forth by delegates reflected the social base of their class and wealth. Classes come into existence based on their relationship to property. And classes, in turn, form parties and governments to represent their interests.

James Madison, considered to be the father of the Constitution, wrote in essay No. 10 of the Federalist Papers that the primary function of government is the protection of property resulting from the “different and unequal faculties of man for acquiring property . . .” From the different types of property acquired, “ensues a division of society into different interests and parties.”

In the same essay Madison states: “The most common and durable source of factions [a common 18th century word for political parties] has been the various and unequal distribution of property. Those who hold and those who are without property have ever formed distinct interests in society.”

The mercantile capitalists, led by Alexander Hamilton (first secretary of the treasury), organized themselves into the Federalist Party and won control of the government during its first 10 years. The Federalists worked feverishly to build up the power of the nascent industrial bourgeoisie, and its senior partners, the merchants.

However, the invention of the cotton gin in 1793 strengthened the Southern planter as they mass-produced cotton for the textile mills of the British industrialists. Further support came from small farmers and skilled and semi-skilled Northern labor who, alienated by Federalist policies, gave the planters the power to defeat the Northern bourgeoisie in the contest for governmental power in 1800.

In the early 1790s militant working class and farmer veterans of the Revolution began to organize Democratic Societies or Republican Clubs to fight against the Federalist government. Much of the leadership of these groups was composed of intellectuals, but the bulk of their membership was small farmers and workers.

Reactionary propaganda, oppressive legislation, and violent repression caused the gradual dissipation of the societies by the mid-1790s. But they served to crystallize the formation of the Democratic-Republican Party. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, two wealthy slaveholders, became the new party’s leaders.

This party won every election from 1800 to 1824. In 1828 the name Republican was dropped, and the Democratic Party was formed. The year Andrew Jackson was the party’s candidate for president. Jackson was a wealthy slave-holder, representing the newly-rich Southwestern sector of the slavocracy.

Workers Organize

The developing industrial capitalist system in the Northeast drove the working class toward political awareness. Between 1828 and 1834 Working Men’s Parties were formed in 61 cities and 55 weekly newspapers. They ran candidates for office and were successful in a few local campaigns.

The Democratic Party of Andrew Jackson co-opted these inexperienced political formations by incorporating some of their demands into the Democratic platform. Since the Democratic Party defended the interests of the slaveholders, who were antagonistic toward the industrial capitalists, they could afford to champion some of labor’s demands.

Jacksonian Democracy represented a new stage in the politics of concealed class rule. Under the guise of representing the common man the Democratic Party began speaking in the name of the many, while actually representing the interests of the few.

In the South, the Democratic Party brutally maintained the slave system with oppressive laws and naked force. But in the North they supported such things as the 10-hour day and the extension of voting rights to workers in order to weaken the power of the industrial bourgeoisie. John Randolph, a Congressional Democrats said, “Northern gentlemen think to govern us by our black slaves, but let me tell them, we intend to govern them by their white slaves!”

A Second Revolution

The Civil War was actually a second revolution. Through force and violence, the Northern industrial capitalists, the abolitionist movement, and the free and slave Blacks (almost 200,000 of whom served in the Union Army), destroyed the system of chattel-slavery.

The destruction of the powerful Southern base of the Democratic Party gave the Northern merchants and financiers who supported the Democratic Party, the reins of the party leadership. When the bloodiest war in U.S. history ended, the victorious Northern capitalists were inclined to be lenient toward their former enemies. They wanted above all to stabilize class rule and prevent the deepening of the social revolution in the South that began with the end of slavery.

The victors needed social stability in order to establish the predominance of the new economic order – capitalist wage slavery. However, by 1867, they realized that a powerful political bloc still existed among Southern Democrats that was antagonistic to the goals of the Northern industrial capitalists. So Northern capitalists backed Radical Reconstruction in the South in order to abolish this last vestige of opposition to their rule.

During the Reconstruction era the Southern Democrats brutalized, terrorized, and murdered tens of thousands of Blacks and their allies. As estimated 20,000 were killed between 1867 and 1871. The Republican Party did little to prevent these atrocities. The Republicans actually took measures to prevent Blacks from defending themselves, disarming Blacks and preventing the formations of armed Black militias.

The Southern Democrats were intent on keeping Blacks in a powerless state by any means necessary. In South Carolina, where Blacks had made the most political progress, the reactionary racists made preparations to ensure their victory in the 1876 election campaign.

Democratic para-military clubs were organized. Democratic Party organizations in the state received the following instructions: “Every Democrat must feel honor bound to control the vote of at least one *****, by intimidation, purchase, keeping him away or as each individual may determine, how he may best accomplish it.”

The presidential election of 1876 was very close, and the vote count was heatedly contested. The final tally showed that the Democrats had been able to buy, steal, and con a few hundred thousand more votes than the Republicans. But the Republicans challenged the count in some states and were able to block the Democratic victory.

In 1877, after months of private meetings between both parties, a compromise was reached. The Republicans granted political and financial concessions to the Southern ruling class in return for control of the presidency. The Democratic Party became as pro-capitalist as the Republican Party. As U.S. capitalism expanded across the globe during the latter half of the 19th century, both parties oversaw the emergence of an imperialist political and economic system. The motto of the two parties became, “What is good for U.S. business is good for the world.”

A Fox and a Wolf

A resolution of the National Convention of Blacks in 1864 castigated the pro-slavery Democratic Party and the vacillating Republican Party, which was formed in 1854. Their resolution stated, “In the ranks of the Democratic Party, all the worst elements of American society fraternize; and we need not expect a single voice from that quarter for justice, mercy or even decency. To it we are nothing, the slaveholders everything . . .” The Republican Party, they said, “has contempt for the character and rights of the colored races . . .”

Malcolm X characterized the Democratic Party as being like a fox, and the Republican Party like a wolf. Both are members of the canine family, with different methods but common goals . . .

This brief sketch of an early period in our history confirms the fact that both parties represent the interests of one class – the capitalist class – and have never represented working people and Blacks. While many things have changed since the Black abolitionists gathered in 1864, their characterization of the Democrats and Republicans still rings true to this day.


I hope this helps

Answer 2

The democrats have been around about 200 years, or a little less. The Republican Party was started as an alternative to a dying Whig Party, & a split among the Democrats. Lincoln was it's first President,

Answer 3

You do realize the Civil War was not the beginning of the abolitionism movement. You do realize reform started in 1776 with the State of Vermont making slavery against law on day 1. Just 3 years later - "An Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery" was passed by the Pennsylvania legislature on 1 March 1780. It was not shortly after this that many of our own fore fathers - including Thomas Jefferson worked covertly with the British M.P. William Wilburforce (The father of Civil Rights) because they knew to abolish slavery you first had to abolish the slave trade which was perpetuated by the British. It was not until 1833 that the British abolished slavery. 15 years later the French abolished it I am assuming also that you know many of the Confederate States where not considered States during this colonial time period and it was the French, Spanish and British who perpetuated the slave trade in the south - creating an entire economy and culture out of it. My point is - this change occurred over a period of about a hundred years. It had nothing to do with contemporary republican & democrat political ideology. It had to do with the moral reform of an entire set of cultures across many national boundaries. It is shameful that people do not fully understand the effort that was put into it and want to make it about one or two political parties for political capital or gain. This issue was so much bigger than your narrow minded question. One of the last countries to abolish slavery believe it or not where countries in Africa and this occurred in the 1980's when Mauritania abolished it in law in 1981.

Answer 4

Well, first do your own homework

Second, read Howard Zinn's A People's History of The United States.

Also Read A People's History of The Supreme Court.

Keep in mind Democrats were originally Republicans.

Answer 5

there really weren't supposed to be any parties in the beginning, but there was a de facto split between the democratic republicans and the federalists. after a while the federalist party died out and was replaced by parties such as the whigs, and the democratic republican party was shortened to the democratic party. in the mid 1800's the republican party emerged and have been the two main parties ever since. before the first world war, the progressive party bacame popular, but it didn't last. the communist and socialist parties tried to become big, but the government wouldn't let them have a chance.

Answer 6

The history of Democrats is Communism. Hippies. Dope heads in the 70s. Drugs and partying. Now theyre a political partying. And you wonder why MOST all entertainers and young singers vote for the dems. No life experience nor wisdom of any kind make you listen to your socialist teachers and friends and vote for the democrats.

Answer 7

Historically, they have hated each other.

Each has always taken the opposite position of the other on every issue.

Answer 8

you can go to either parties website and read their history
or wikipedia.