Political Parties, Polarization, and Inclusion in America
This paper examines the origins and evolution of political parties in the United States, tracing their development from the founding era through the emergence of the stable two-party system following the 1824 presidential election. It analyzes congressional polarization since the 1970s, presenting geographic and ideological data illustrating how Republicans and Democrats have grown increasingly divided. The paper also considers how coalitional politics enables political inclusion and how parties continue to fulfill essential functions — recruiting leaders, organizing government, and translating voting power into public policy — despite declining public trust and increasing partisan gridlock.
- Introduction to Political Parties in America: Origins and rise of the U.S. two-party system
- Polarization in Two-Party Competition: Congressional ideological sorting since the 1970s
- Political Inclusion Through the Parties: Coalitional politics and parties' ongoing social functions
- Conclusion: Gridlock, DW-NOMINATE, and deepening party division
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What makes this paper effective
- Uses concrete regional data — comparing New England and Southern congressional delegations between 1973–1974 and 2011–2012 — to ground abstract claims about polarization in measurable evidence.
- Balances historical context with contemporary analysis, tracing party development from the founding era to present-day gridlock.
- Introduces the DW-NOMINATE methodology in the conclusion, giving readers a specific scholarly tool for understanding ideological measurement.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of empirical evidence to support a political science argument. Rather than relying solely on assertion, the author cites specific legislative seat distributions across decades to illustrate ideological sorting, making the polarization argument concrete and verifiable.
Structure breakdown
The paper follows a four-part structure: an introduction establishing the historical origins of U.S. parties; a body section analyzing congressional polarization with regional data; a second body section on parties' inclusive and functional roles; and a conclusion that introduces the DW-NOMINATE scoring method and reinforces the central concern about legislative gridlock. The structure moves logically from history to data to function to implication.
Introduction to Political Parties in America
Political parties are collections of individuals who share a common creed, organized to help elect members to public office. The U.S. Constitution does not mention parties, and many early political figures considered them dangerous or undesirable. Nevertheless, political parties have driven the creation of electoral institutions and other incentives that justify their existence. The very first political parties established in America sought to form coalitions to help control the government's machinery in a more organized way, and those attempts at control soon took an electoral angle.
A two-party system eventually emerged to steer competition in elections. The system collapsed during the Era of Good Feelings but re-emerged in the presidential election of 1824, after which it gained considerable stability that has persisted to the present day (Samuel Kernell, Gary C. Jacobson, and Thad Kausser).
Polarization in Two-Party Competition
Since the 1970s, congressional parties have sorted themselves along geographic and ideological lines. The six New England states' combined House delegation, for example, shifted from 10 Republicans and 15 Democrats in 1973–1974 to just 2 Republicans and 20 Democrats in 2011–2012. The South's composition in 1973–1974 — 42 Republicans and 91 Democrats — was virtually reversed by 2011–2012, when there were 107 Republicans and only 47 Democrats.
Political polarization in the United States has been a subject of ongoing debate among political scientists, particularly regarding whether congressional polarization preceded or followed public polarization. Currently available data is unlikely to resolve this puzzle definitively. What is clear, however, is that when Congress is polarized, very little legislation gets accomplished. Historically, conflicts between parties were resolved through compromise that kept the legislative process moving. The current generation of legislators, however, is often reluctant to yield on key issues, pressured by the partisan organizations they represent in their home states. While citizens generally view compromise favorably, they typically want any compromise to favor their own side (Drew Desilver).
Conclusion
It is getting harder for political parties to reach compromises that benefit the entire populace as the major parties continue to grow apart and conflicts between them intensify. This has contributed to Congress becoming less productive in passing legislation. Examining congressional polarization is a complex undertaking, however. Howard Rosenthal and Keith Poole suggest that placing representatives and senators into groups based on ideology is a useful starting point; they have termed this method DW-NOMINATE. Their data reveal that the pulling apart of the two parties began in earnest in the mid-1970s (Drew Desilver).
References
Drew Desilver. (2014). The polarized Congress of today has its roots in the 1970s. Pew Research Center.
Samuel Kernell, Gary C. Jacobson, & Thad Kausser. (2010). Political Parties. In S. Kernell, G. C. Jacobson, & T. Kausser, The Logic of American Politics. Sage CQ Press.
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