The history and role of the Democratic and Republican parties in America

Political Parties and Interest Groups

This paper explores the history of the two main political groups in America and then compares them to interest groups. The writer examines the history of the Democratic Party and the Republican party and how interest groups help to support them. There were four sources used to complete this paper.

When young adults register to vote they are asked if they want to align themselves with a particular political party. The party they choose is supposed to be the one that most closely represents their own beliefs and views with regard to government actions.

There are several different political parties in America, but the two most powerful and popular parties are the Democratic and Republican parties. Each party has its own history, trends and beliefs and the political lines are firmly drawn in the legislative houses. In addition to established political parties the nation has interest groups that are formed in the hope that they can help promote and lobby for things that are important to the political parties. For a resident to become an informed member of society with regard to voting and political issues it is important that he or she has an understanding of the political parties, the interest groups and how they work.

Democratic Party

The Democratic Party actually got its start when Thomas Jefferson decided to form it so that he could try and fight against the goals of the elitist Federalist Party. He originally called it the Democratic-Republican Party (Democratic Party (http://www.democrats.org/a/party/history.html).

Jefferson believed at the time that those who supported the Federalists were judgmental elitists who wanted only to protect their own interests and didn't care about the rest of the nation.

The late Ron Brown, former Chairman of the Democratic Party, wrote, "The common thread of Democratic history, from Thomas Jefferson to Bill Clinton, has been an abiding faith in the judgment of hardworking American families, and a commitment to helping the excluded, the disenfranchised and the poor strengthen our nation by earning themselves a piece of the American Dream. We remember that this great land was sculpted by immigrants and slaves, their children and grandchildren (Democratic Party (http://www.democrats.org/a/party/history.html)."

Jefferson originally named it the party of the common man but it was changed to the Democratic Party in 1798. Jefferson was rewarded for his efforts when he was the first Democratic president elected in America in 1800.

He was able to serve two terms as president and then another Democrat; James Madison stepped into his shoes and led the nation.

The national convention process was the birth child of the Democratic Party and held the first Democratic National Convention in 1844(Democratic Party (http://www.democrats.org/a/party/history.html).

In 1848, the National Convention established the Democratic National Committee, now the longest running political organization in the world. The Convention charged the DNC with the responsibility of promoting "the Democratic cause" between the conventions and preparing for the next convention (Democratic Party (http://www.democrats.org/a/party/history.html)."

The Democratic Party has a reputation for wanting more government involvement by the way of government sponsored programs for the poor and government sponsored health benefits.

The Democratic Party web site has the following self description.

The Democratic Party is America's last, best hope to bridge the divisions of class, race, region, religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation. We will succeed if we continue to govern by the same principles that have made America the greatest nation on earth -- the principles of strength, inclusion and opportunity. The Democratic Party is ready to take advantage of the opportunities we have and meet the challenges we face (Democratic Party (http://www.democrats.org/a/party/history.html)."

Interest Groups

While the two major parties of the American political system are for the most part clearly divided and designed, interest groups are not so easily identified as to which party they support as they generally go to the party that agrees with them and has enough clout to make it happen (Interest Groups (http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0216125-00&templatename=/article/article.html).

Interest parties in the political sense can be defined as organized associations of individuals that have a common interest or share characteristics that can be represented before government officials (Interest Groups (http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0216125-00&templatename=/article/article.html).

Most people have heard of lobbyist and lobby groups. They are groups of individuals that work toward a common goal by approaching government officials for the purpose of convincing them to support and push their interests through the legislative process.

Interest groups therefore are linkage institutions, insofar as they aggregate and articulate the shared views of their supporters before policymakers. Interest groups can be found in any political system (Interest Groups (http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0216125-00&templatename=/article/article.html).In federated governments they may be active at the national, state, or local level (Interest Groups (http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0216125-00&templatename=/article/article.html).Some groups operate beyond the domestic environment and seek to influence decision makers at the international level (Interest Groups (http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0216125-00&templatename=/article/article.html).This involvement in many issues and at many levels makes interest groups a potentially pervasive political force (Interest Groups (http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0216125-00&templatename=/article/article.html)."

It is important to realize that social groups and interest groups are not the same. Social groups can create widespread public knowledge, while it is the interest group that brings those desires and ideas to the legislators themselves hoping to affect change through political vote (Interest Groups (http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0216125-00&templatename=/article/article.html).

Interest Groups vs. Political Parties.

When comparing interest groups to political parties the lines can become muddied because they are both connected to the representation of what the citizens want and desire.

The main difference between the two is the fact that political parties are held accountable not only to the voters but also to many laws and mandates with regard to what they can and cannot do. Interest parties are only held accountable to themselves and the people who support them.

Political parties exhibit three distinguishing features that set them apart from other linkage institutions: they seek to win elections or electoral positions, they reorganize around those periodic elections and then may become less active, and they depend on the local mobilization of voters who support political candidates but not necessarily the party organization. In contrast, interest groups are more issue oriented, are continuously maintained, and are dependent on supporters who identify with their organization Interest Groups (accessed 5-1-07)

http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0216125-00&templatename=/article/article.html."

In America, interest parties do not have any real power when it comes to decision making. The best that they can hope for is to influence a political party to get behind their cause and vote to have it adopted. Political parties on the other hand, have the power and ability to change laws and mandates by their voting clout.