It seems that all anyone can talk about these days are politics, who is running for president and what the next big move will be. Everyone knows the two major parties, Democrat and Republican. What people may not know however, is what exactly each party believes in and how those ideals developed over time.
“The two party system in my opinion is flawed, it’s not true democracy. A democracy in America has become all about money and who endorses you. These smaller parties just don’t have the financial backing to go out and campaign like the Republicans or Democrats do. I wish the independent parties had more power so we’d have more choices,” NHS social studies teacher Anthony Metz said.
The Federalist Party was the first political party, founded by John Adams and Alexander Hamilton, that called for a strong national government and bank. In 1854, the modern day Republican Party (commonly referred to as the Grand Old Party or by its acronym the GOP) was founded by anti-slavery activists and modernizers.
Republican policies are based on the idea of returning power to state governments and many members of the party are considered conservative. Christianity is typically associated with conservatism as their values tend to line up and many policies agree with their religious beliefs. Republicans believe that taxes should not be raised for anyone and that national government regulations only hinder free market capitalism and job growth. In general, they believe that spending money on government regulations is excessive and not necessary, except on the matter of military spending which they see as a means to protect the country from outside harm.
The Democratic-Republican Party was founded by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson in order to oppose the Federalists and supported a weak federalist government, states’ rights, and opposed the idea of having a national bank. It was not until the Federalist Party dissolved that the modern day Democratic Party was founded in 1828. They actually named themselves Republicans, until the Federalists mockingly called them “Democratic,” in order to try to portray them as purveyors of democracy.
In terms of their policies, Democrats favor liberalism and the notion of helping out citizens who have less. Their main policies are based on community and social obligations, as seen in their view that the government regulations should be in place to help people who need help. Social Security is a prime example of this. First passed by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935, Social Security acts as a means for retired citizens to get back money they had put into the system over the span of their career. This system makes sure that workers may retire without having to worry about living the rest of their lives in poverty.
For the most part, the two parties are able to compromise on their beliefs and make a policy that pleases both sides. However, their stances on gay marriage and abortion are not among these issues. Republicans are pro-life, except under specific circumstances, and disagree with the Supreme Court decision in both the Roe v. Wade and the recent decision to make gay marriage legal in all fifty states. On the other side, Democrats are pro-choice (they believe in letting women have the legal right to abort) and support recent Supreme Court decisions made on gay issues.
Both political sides clearly differ on many issues and it is evident in the way that their policies are written. Despite this, there are people who agree with certain aspects of each party, maybe they like social security, but also think spending large amounts of money on the military is a good idea.
“I think it’s important that [students] understand the difference between the [two parties], but it’s important that they also understand that you don’t have to be one or the other,” NHS Mathematics teacher Chris Pearson said.
Children tend to blindly follow their parents in their political footsteps, trusting the adults to have good judgement. The problem is, ideals change and evolve over time to fit in with modern standards and new issues the world is presented with. Knowing what a party believes in can help kids understand which side they want to affiliate themselves with, even if it is only on specific matters.
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