Politics in the United States - Essay Sample

Introduction

Politics in the United States continues to polarize citizens along partisan lines. The two leading parties in national elections are the Democrats and Republicans. Worth noting is that various parties worked towards partisan politics as a way of promoting democracy. Some historians argue that the party system in the US has promoted the election process, while others feel that it weakened the process (Robert, 2012). The essay discusses reasons that led to the rise of partisan politics in the US, the development of the second party-system, and major events that led to civil war.

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Partisan Politics

The first reason that led to partisan politics in the US is conflicts and concerns between the views of democrats and republicans. President Jefferson considered the element of participative leadership and democracy and an important element in the republic and this opposed views of the federals. The president turned away from urban development to rural development in areas, such as agriculture (Press Books, n.d). The leadership policy led to opposing views from different stakeholders, leading to partisan politics, depending on the side each party supports. The period happened from 1972 to 1820 when the United States had two parties. The drift between the parties led to partisan politics because they differed on how to handle the economic system. Therefore, politicians supported parties that support their ideologies regarding the economic system.

President Jefferson reversed administration policies when he was reelected in 1804. What led to partisan politics is that the president promoted agriculture by portioning public lands in western and selling the pieces. The government encouraged exporting of agricultural products without urbanization (Press Books, n.d). Many wealthy investors wanted to buy western lands. However, Yeoman republican farmers resisted individuals, who tried to own the land and this led to war between owners of the pieces of land and wealthy individuals interested in owning the pieces of land. During this period, Americans and politicians engaged in partisan politics to protect their interests.

Furthermore, partisan acrimony contributed to partisan politics in the US. The rivalry between political parties in the US exploded in 1804 when Alexander Hamilton Aaron Burr engaged in a duel (Press Books, n.d). Burr, a Democratic-Republican who lost bid to contest the gubernatorial seat in New York blamed Hamilton for his woes (Press Books, n.d). Two antagonists met in New Jersey and exchanged bullets and Burr was fatally injured. The contest led to a full-blown war that divided Americans along parties lines, leading to party polarization.

The other issue that led to partisan politics in the US is that the constitution did not advocate for the rights and freedoms of the people. Instead, it outlined functions of the government and this provoked a section of citizens. Federalists argued that they could be regarded as the only individuals, who should enjoy rights outlined in the constitution (Press Books, n.d). On the contrary, anti-federalists argued that the government had not established frameworks for human rights and this means that it could violate the rights and freedoms of people. The disagreement sparked a contentious debate between the parties. The period led to the alignment of people according to the interests parties support. Partisan politics has continued to polarize American politics to date. Individuals support different parties because of the ideologies they support.

The Development of the Second Party System

The Whig Party emerged in the 19th century to oppose Andrew Jackson’s governance policies. The Whigs favored the American system, advocating for the introduction of protective tariffs and federal support for the national bank. The party mobilized its supporters to advocate for subsidization for infrastructure projects and opposed expanding territory to Texas and Southwest (Robert, 2012). The second player was Jackson’s Democratic Party founded o principles, such as expanded suffrage and patronage. The party believed all white men had voting rights and the appointment of political supporters to various offices.

The first constituent that defined Democrats is embracing westward expansion that created opportunities for independent land ownership. The other constituent is that Democrats promoted the interests of the government and this implies that it gave little emphasis on economic development. On the contrary, the Whigs Party emphasized commercial development within the country’s territory (Norton, et al., 2015). Furthermore, the Whigs focused on economic development and embraced the ideology of promoting economic activities that promote economic growth within the current boundaries. Additionally, the Whigs campaigned for equal opportunities for all, while the Democrats divided the country into those who have and those who do not have. These constituents defined each party, dividing people along with party and ideological lines.

Two parties that played a significant role during the second party system include Andrew Jackson’s Democratic Party and Henry Clay’s Whig Party (Flores-Macias, 2010). The Whig Party emerged after the Whigs revolution that opposed the president’s monarchy. It operated from the 1830s to 1850s and was primarily formed to oppose the controversial policies of President Jackson (Robert, 2012). Specifically, it supported Congress’s supremacy over the presidency and economic protectionism. Its ideologies attracted many followers, making it one of the largest parties in America’s early history that played a significant role in the democratization process.

The second party system increased democratization in American politics since it was the beginning of the current two-party American system. Religion and ethnicity played a significant role in the second party system. The Whigs Party supported the morals of evangelical Protestants and black women and alienated other faiths. Consequently, the party promoted the ideology that non-evangelicals, Catholics, and Mormons had no room; hence more than 90% of non-evangelicals voted Democratic (Norton, et al., 2015). In this regard, religion and ethnicity contributed to the formation of voter coalitions where all citizens championed their rights. Additionally, the second party system led to the formation of the women’s movement advocating for their rights in the electoral system in the 19th century. The movement brought middle-class women into the public sphere and recognition of women in politics.

Major Movements

The primary event that led to the eruption of the civil war was the formation of the abolitionist movement. The movement sought to abolish the slave trade since it considered it unethical and an abomination. The movement led to the emancipation of all slaves in the US (Fleche, 2012). Among the early abolitionists included white and religious organizations. However, a majority of the movement’s leaders were whites. The movement sent messages to various institutions, including congress. In this regard, pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups clashed. Pro-supporters of slavery argued that ending it abruptly would have a negative economic impact since it was likely to cause a labor shortage. They were fundamental resources of the American economy; hence ending slavery affects economic growth. Additionally, historians argue that slavery existed throughout history and it is the source of natural mankind; hence ending slavery would damage history regarding mankind.

Additionally, the westward expansion increased sectional tensions that contributed to the emergence of civil war. The expansion caused Mexican annexation and war between America and Mexico. Also, it contributed to an unknown fate in the West which a significant number of stakeholders opposed during the time (Fleche, 2012). Therefore, westward expansion increased tensions between the Northern and Southern people and this contributed to civil war in the US.

In his regard, the first territorial factor that led to the outbreak of the civil war in the US is westward expansion. Tension increased between North and South due to ideological differences regarding the treatment of slaves, leading to the civil war (Fleche, 2012). The second cause of civil war is the enactment of the Kansas-Nebraska Act that opened all territories to slavery. The act established new territories with a popular sovereignty policy. Because of popular sovereignty, pro-slavery and anti-slavery supporters relocated between the territories to sway popular votes, leading to political turmoil in the territories in efforts to gain political sovereignty (Fleche, 2012). The turmoil led to civil war. The third cause of civil was the removal of Indians from westward. Native Americans realized that Indian intrusion is threatening their economic and spiritual system (Norton, et al., 2015). Some Indians responded to Americans’ incursion through peaceful negotiation and resistance by fighting for their land, leading to civil war.

Conclusion

The political system in the United States has undergone tremendous changes to its current state. Factors that contributed to partisan politics include ideological conflicts and events and the advocacy for human rights. Two major parties that played a significant in the second party system include the Whig and Democratic parties. Finally, causes of civil war in the US include conflicts between the North and South, the enactment of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and westward expansion.

References

Fleche, A. (2012). Revolution of 1861: The Americans civil war in the age nationalist conflict. The University of North Carolina Press.
https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=HgXyUBZCY98C&printsec=frontcover&dq=causes+of+civil+war+in+the+United+States&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiw3vmrjqrtAhU0TxUIHeinD5Q4ChDoATAEegQIBhAC#v=onepage&q=causes%20of%20civil%20war%20in%20the%20United%20States&f=false

Flores-Macias, G. (2010). Statist vs. Pro-Market: Explaining Leftist Governments' Economic Policies in Latin America. Comparative Politics, 42(1), 413-433. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cuny/cp/2010/00000042/00000004/art00004

Norton, M. B. et al. (2015). A People and A Nation: A History of the United States, Brief, (10th Ed). Cengage Learning.

Press Books. (n.d). Partisan politics.
http://pressbooks-dev.oer.hawaii.edu/ushistory/chapter/partisan-politics/

Robert, K. (2012). Market reform, programmatic (De) alignment, and party system stability in Latin America. Comparative Political Studies, 46(11), 1422-1452.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0010414012453449.