Polarization in American politics may seem like a new phenomenon in American political elections, but has existed historically in nearly all elections. Republicans clashing with Democrats to gain control over the house of representatives, the senate, and the White house has always been both parties political objectives. The problem America has now with polarization comes from the American electorate which are becoming more divided in recent years at staggering rates compared to past elections. Political scientist upheld the centrist, theory which states that America was largely made of political moderates who didn’t resonate with neither the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. Unfortunately, America is a nation divided between liberal …show more content…
electorates and conservative electorates who are not willing to see eye to eye when it comes to political ideology. Today’s electorates believe the stakes are excessively high, therefore unwilling to compromise their political ideology for a bipartisan government. James Campbell eloquently states that electorates can all agree that as citizens We all want peace and prosperity, a secure nation, equal opportunities, and justice, an efficient government with fair elections, a successful educational system, a clean environment and ample access to energy, a well maintained and efficient transportation system, reliable and technologically advanced communication networks, a compassionate system of safety nets for those who cannot fend for themselves, safe streets and suitable housing, wholesome food, plenty of safe and rewarding jobs and so on. (Campbell, 2016) Although, Americans can agree on fundamental social principles that would make a utopian American society, doesn’t negate the fact that the nation is largely separated politically as a nation.
Furthermore, it should be noted that political polarization does not stop Americans from agreeing on social issues such as eliminating racial discrimination and improving gender equality between men and women in society. Unananimously, electorates have agreed that they are concerned about the environment and finding renewable energy in the future. Thus, proving that polarization is not a black and white issue, because American electorates can agree on certain issues, but still be divided. Polarization should be viewed as small degrees. These degrees add up to create a greater political separation on election …show more content…
day. Political polarization has been indoctrinated in America’s political culture and seem to be normal for many citizens and has been passed down generations. The Democrats don’t like The Republicans and many Americans debate amongst themselves on which party has the best plan for America’s future. Democrats are blaming the Republican party of being overzealous religious nuts, while Republicans blame the Democrats for having no morals and unpatriotic. When Obama was elected president in 2009 many Americans praised his accomplishment, while others demigod him and questioned his citizenship. President Trump was welcomed by his fellow republicans, but meet with hostility from Democrats that despise him and want him impeached. Every election year, disgruntled electorates debate about the same talking points from social issues, health care and the national deficit and how to stimulate the economy. Electorates become separated between two political parties have become the American norm. Polarization in America politics did not come from a void, but over the years built up to create the polarization between political parties we see today in political elections.
Historically, social issues have separated American electorates and forced political ideology to change within the Democratic party and Republican party. Initially these political parties were divided on many political and social issues, but the country had more moderates thus creating what seemed to be a bipartisan government. The beginning of political polarization can be credited to Alexander Hamilton the leader of the Federalist party, and his antagonist Thomas Jefferson and partner James Madison who lead the Jeffersonian democracy. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Joy used the press to convey their message, which would later be known as The Federalist Papers. Ultimately, The Federalist and Anti Federalist were able to come to a compromise that lead to the ratification of The United States Constitution in 1788 and went into effect in 1789. Unfortunately, a few centuries later the nation would become divided politically and socially over slavery, which lead America into a Civil
War. Before the civil war America was divided between free states and slave states. Politically pro-slavery states and free states fought over each state to gain power over congress. In 1820 The Union was evenly divided into eleven free states and eleven slave states, but when Missouri wanted to be admitted in as a slave state it created an uproar around the nation. This pandemonium lead to the Missouri compromise of 1820 which allowed Missouri to be a slave state, Maine as a free state, and slavery was prohibited in the Louisiana Purchase north of latitude 36°30′N, except for Missouri. (Forbes; Pierce, 2007) Southern states criticized the Missouri compromise because it gave congress the authority to make legislation regarding slavery. The North, on the other hand wanted slavery abolished and felt like the Missouri compromise was delaying the enable of abolishing slavery. Southern states believed popular sovereignty was the best way to decide if a state would be proslavery or a free state and congress had no right to intervene on state issues. The Southern states were granted their wish in 1854 when the Kansas Nebraska Act knocked down the Missouri compromise and implemented popular sovereignty which allowed residents to vote on whether they wanted to a proslavery state. Proslavery and free-state settlers flooded into Kansas to try to influence the decision. Bloody Kansas created hysteria across the nation because slavery was no just a political issue but a social issue Americans were willing to die over.
Furthermore, he introduces the idea that popular polarization is different from partisan polarization and that sorting has occurred within the parties. Meaning that “those who affiliate with a party… are more likely to affiliate with the ideologically ‘correct’ party than they were [before]” (Fiorina et al. 61). To illustrate the concept of polarization he uses a figure with marble filled urns. These urns depict red blue and gray marbles with r for republican d for democrat and i for independent. When polarization, all gray independent marbles disappear becoming either red or blue.
Although national political parties were considered “divisive and disloyal”, the first two-party system of the United States, Hamiltonian-Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans, emerged during George Washington’s administration. The political division was later sharpened with Jay’s Treaty. They differ from each other in various aspects. Nevertheless, the political turbulent during the 1790s greatly expanded the public sphere.
During the early 1800s, two parties were developed having different perspectives on government and the Constitution. The Democratic Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, were always characterized by following the strict construction of the constitution. The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, were characterized by following the broad construction of the constitution. The presidencies of Jefferson and Madison proved this characterization to be somewhat accurate. Although the Democratic Republicans and the Federalists did support their own ideas and views, they also did many things that contradicted them.
The creation of political parties originally caused some conflict. Many people thought that they were evil. As time went on, the people warmed up to the idea, and characterizations of the Republican and Federalist parties began. The Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson, strictly interpreted the Constitution, but eventually, they loosened their views on the interpretation of the Constitution. On the other hand, Federalists held views on a loose interpretation of the Constitution, until they realized that a more strict interpretation could be a good thing.
Increasingly over the past two decades and in part thanks to the publication of James Davison Hunter’s book, Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America, the idea of a culture war in American politics has been gaining attention. While the tension between conservatives and liberals is palpable, it’s intensity has proven hard to measure. However, it doesn’t seem that many Americans are polarized on the topic of polarization as most would agree that the culture war is real (Fiorina, 2005). This thinking is what prompted Morris Fiorina to write the book Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America. In it, Fiorina outlines an argument against the idea of a culture war by looking at party affiliation by states, how public opinion on hot button issues changed over time and various explanations for why Americans are so hung up on the topic of polarization. While Fiorina makes a good argument, the evidence supporting the culture war is too powerful to explain away.
8.In order for political success, both sides of the political spectrum must be critically examined in order to omit mistakes and for cultural advancement. Over two hundred years of United States politics have seen many changes. The names of parties may have changed, but the bi-partisan feature of the party-system has not. Republicans and Democrats are our two major partisan groups in present day America. Sometimes there are disagreement amongst party members that lead to dispute and a less concentrated effort. That is the beauty of a democracy, everyone is allowed to put their two cents worth in.
The first political parties in America began to form at the end of the 18th century. "The conflict that took shape in the 1790s between the Federalists and the Antifederalists exercised a profound impact on American history." The two primary influences, Thomas Jefferson a...
Although Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton did not necessarily get along and the citizens of the United States were splitting to support the different leaders, it did not cause the emergence of the parties. The social tensions and differences, rather than a cause, was more of an effect. Jefferson and Hamilton’s disagreements on the subjects of economics, politics, and foreign affairs were major divisions, leaving social tensions in the aftermath. The emergence of political parties during the 1790s in the United States can be compared to the emergence of the Whigs and Tories in England during the 1700s and 1800s. Both pairs of opposing political parties emerged over disagreements. Whigs, like the Democratic-Republicans, supported the rights and power of the people. Tories, like the Federalists, supported a strong monarchy/government (UK
The differing opinions on how the government in the post-Revolutionary war period should be run ultimately created the first rise in political parties. The Federalist belief in a government run by wealthy men and opposing Republican support for and agrarian society split the nations people in support of a government most beneficial to them. Differing reactions to the French Revolution showed the distinct difference in Federalist and Republican belief of who the government should be run under. The National Bank and the excise tax on liquor revealed differing views on how strictly the Constitution should be interpreted and the Alien and Sedition Acts reveal an attempt of one party to dissolve another. The contrasting views of Hamilton's Federalism and Jefferson's Republicanism were the ultimate contributors to splitting the nation on views and establishing the first political parties.
As the young colonies of America broke away from their mother country and began to grow and develop into an effective democratic nation, many changes occurred. As the democracy began to grow, two main political parties developed, the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists. Each party had different views on how the government should be run. The Jeffersonian Republicans believed in strong state governments, a weak central government, and a strict construction of the Constitution. The Federalists opted for a powerful central government with weaker state governments, and a loose interpretation of the Constitution. Throughout the years, the political parties have grown, developed, and even dispersed into totally new factions. Many of the inconsistencies and changes can be noted throughout the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
In this essay, I will explain why Texas should retain the partisan election of judges. Texas is one of the few states that elect their judges using a Partisan voting method. Partisan elections can be unfair and can misinform the voter. A high legal position such as a judge should never be chosen in such a manner. Partisan elections often cost more than nonpartisan elections in campaigning. Partisan elections are also more likely to lead to straight ticket voting or mindless voting. Partisan elections also lead to more campaign contributions and can increase the power of constituencies. Lastly partisan elections can cause an imbalance in equal represent the population. Therefore, Partisanship voting does not belong in the courts of Texas and
In the 1790s, soon after the ratification of the Constitution, political parties were nonexistent in the USA because President Washington feared they would drive the country apart. However, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, with their rivalling mental models, could not help but spark the division of the United States into the Democratic-Republican and Federalist parties. These parties, the Democratic-Republican wanting a small, local government system and the Federalist wanting a strong, powerful government system, turned citizens against one another and eventually led to the inimical Democratic and Republican parties of today. Hence, the formation of the original political parties in the United States is very significant. Political
In today's day in age, the Democratic and Republican parties seem to be completely diverse. These two parties have completely opposing views on topics ranging from social issues, health care, tax policy, labor and free trade, foreign policy, crime and capital punishment, energy and environmental issues, and even education. Once upon a time however, these two groups were not as polarized as they have become. Both were once a single party known as the Democratic-Republican Party, formed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in 1791. This sole party favored the idea of a decentralized, democratic government. They despised the idea of the U.S government becoming anything similar to England's monarchy system at the time. They also supported states’ rights as well as the literal and strict interpretation of the U.S Constitution. The group's purpose was to stand against the Federalists who were
Whether political polarization is good or bad for the nation is still up for debate, but the general consensus is it exists due to a variety of reasons. From the construction of our Constitution, it is clear that the intent of our founding fathers was to create opposition in order to prevent tyranny from prevailing. Polarization is a result of the dividing of a nation into political parties. Though polarization has fluctuated throughout the years, it has caused a great deal of trouble in regards to passing legislation and has resulted in a gridlocked Congress. Even though some fear congressional polarization is destined to get worse, “it is mathematically impossible for congress to get much more polarized” than it is now.
There is much debate in the United States whether or not there is polarization between our two dominate political parties. Presidential election results have shown that there is a division between the states; a battle between the Democratic blue states and the Republican red states. And what is striking is that the “colors” of these states do not change. Red stays red, and blue stays blue. Chapter 11 of Fault Lines gives differing views of polarization. James Wilson, a political science professor at Pepperdine University in California, suggests that polarization is indeed relevant in modern society and that it will eventually cause the downfall of America. On the contrast, Morris Fiorina, a political science professor at Stanford University, argues that polarization is nothing but a myth, something that Americans should not be concerned with. John Judis, a senior editor at The New Republic, gives insight on a driving force of polarization; the Tea Party Movement. Through this paper I will highlight the chief factors given by Wilson and Judis which contribute to polarization in the United States, and will consider what factors Fiorina may agree with.