Democratic Party (USA)

The Democratic Party is a political party in the United States of America, founded in 1828. It is one of the two major parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Its members or supporters are called Democrats.

The Democratic Party was founded in 1828 by future presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin van Buren after the Democratic-Republican Party fractured following the 1824 presidential election. Since its founding, the Democratic Party has remained dominant as one of two parties in the United States' practical two-party democracy.

History

Origins

The origins of the Democratic Party lie in its predecessor, the Democratic-Republican Party. The Democratic-Republican Party was founded in 1792 by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to oppose the File:FederalistPartyUSA-Icon.png Federalist Party, a conservative party led by Alexander Hamilton. Following Jefferson's election as president in 1800, the Federalists never regained control of the presidency, House of Representatives or Senate, leading to what some scholars have called the "one-party system".

Because of the Democratic-Republican dominance over government, factions began to emerge in the party, mainly between Old Republicans, radicals, and moderates. After 1810, the party would shift towards a divide between nationalists, who were in favor of federal funding and high tariffs, and the 'anti-nationalists'. Initially, the anti-nationalists rallied around William H. Crawford, before a severe stroke in 1823 led to his supporters flocking to the up-and-coming Andrew Jackson. Jackson was a war hero and long-term politician from Tennessee who in 1824 ran as one of four candidates in the 1824 presidential election. Although his supporters only intended him to be a spoiler candidate to ensure that Crawford did not win any electoral votes in Tennessee. Unexpectedly however, Jackson gained popular support of Tennessee which eventually led to him winning a plurality of the popular vote and electoral votes. However, as Jackson did not win the required 131 votes, John Quincy Adams was elected by the House instead after striking a deal with Henry Clay. Bitterness of Jackson's supporters over his loss in the election, along with John Quincy Adams' presidency, led to the creation of an informal coalition consisting of supporters of Jackson, Crawford, and vice president John C. Calhoun that opposed Adams. In the lead-up to the 1828 presidential election, Jackson's supporters founded the Democratic Party to support him in the election.

Second Party System

Jackson and his supporters would go on to win control of the presidency, Senate and House in 1828. The period of American politics from 1828-1854 is aptly known as the Jacksonian Era, as 'Jacksonian Democrats' would go on to dominate many of the elections during that time. Jackson presided over the expansion of suffrage for white men, populism, and anti-elitism. At the same time, they supported manifest destiny and the removal of many Native American tribes from their traditional homelands.

Third Party System and Reconstruction

From 1828-1854, the issue of slavery led to the Democratic Party fracturing between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions. This split was perhaps best signaled when former president and Jacksonian ally Martin van Buren founded the Free Soil Party to oppose the spread of slavery into new states. The Jacksonian era practically came to an end following the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which saw mass defections from the Democrats to other parties. In 1854, members of the Whig Party, Free Soil Party and other members of the so-called 'Anti-Nebraska movement' founded the Republican Party, which since its inception has continued to be the Democratic Party's rival.

Continuing factionalism over the issue of slavery led to the Democratic Party further dividing among anti-secessionist and pro-secessionist factions in the face of the perceived possibility of an abolition of slavery. This factionalism led to the Democratic party failing to elect a ticket for the 1860 presidential election: three Democratic-affiliated candidates ran against Republican Abraham Lincoln, which led to Lincoln securing a majority of electoral votes. Following the outbreak of the American Civil War, the Democratic Party fractured into pro-secessionist and anti-secessionist groups: those who supported the Union in its war against the Confederacy, and those who were against it (or who supported the Confederacy). After slavery was declared abolished in the United States in 1864 and the defeat of the Confederacy, slavery ended as the primary issue of the United States, with the politics of the Democratic Party shifting instead towards the problem of Reconstruction. From 1862 to 1874 the Republican Party dominated American politics, controlling both the presidency, the House and Senate until the end of Reconstruction in 1877.

"Upon a Cross of Gold"

Notoriously in the 1876 presidential election, the Democratic nominee Samuel J. Tilden, while winning the popular vote, had their reported victories in several states, such as Louisiana and Florida, disputed by Republican authorities. As a compromise to allow Republican nominee Rutherford B. Hayes to win the 20 total disputed electoral votes and thus the election, the Republicans were forced to end Reconstruction. Democratic politics thus shifted away from Reconstruction and towards economic and cultural issues. Following the end of reconstruction, the Democrats dominated the South through the disenfranchisement of blacks. The Democratic dominance of the South was such to an extent that the South was called the 'Solid South', as the South was practically a one-party state.

The Democrats would return to the White House in 1885, when the Democratic nominee Grover Cleveland won the presidential election. Cleveland was a so-called Bourbon Democrat, who were laissez-faire, pro-business Democrats who supported the gold standard. Cleveland was not re-elected in 1888 after narrowly losing the electoral college to Benjamin Harrison, but the unpopularity of Harrison's policies led to Cleveland easily retaking power in 1892.

When the Panic of 1893 hit the United States, Cleveland and the Bourbon Democrats were immediately blamed for the depression. Because of this, the Democratic party split between pro and anti-Bourbonite factions. The anti-Bourbonites were most characterized by their support for the silver standard and bimetallism, as opposed to the gold standard. In the end, the anti-Bourbonites won out and nominated young Nebraska representative William Jennings Bryan, who became famous for his Cross of Gold speech, where he rallied for 'free silver', where the unlimited minting of silver coins would supposedly flood the economy with cash and end the depression. Bryan was controversial among Democrats, but despite losing the 1896 election, Bryan would continue to be the Democratic nominee until 1908, with the exception of 1904.

The "Progressive Era"

teddy roosevelt DESTROYS democrats by STEALING ALL OF THEIR POLICIES

Relationships

Friends

• Liberal Party (Canada) - My Canadian bro and BFF. I'm so sorry how he is destroying the relationships between Canada and US.
• Labour Party (UK) and Social Democratic Party of Germany - A little too left-wing for my standards but we been relatively the same ever since all of us (for the most part) both adopted Third Way.
• Democratic Party (Italy) - Like the above just me but Italian.
• Democratic Party of Korea - Thank God you defeated that Korean Trumpist.
• Democrats 66 - You are just me but a little more liberal.
• Colombian Liberal Party - A liberal like me but he is (kinda) no longer a codominant.

Neutral

• Workers' Party (Brazil) - Too left-wing but thx for defeating the brazilian version of Trump.

Enemies

• Republican Party (USA) - YOU ARE MY WORST ENEMY!! I WILL COME BACK TO BITE YOU IN 2026 DO YOU HEAR ME!!
• Green Party (USA) - Vote Stealer! You are the reason the above won in 2024!
• Democratic Center (Colombia) - I don't know who you are but you endorse him in the 2020 elections so I already have a reason to hate you.
• Alternative for Germany - Aren't you just him again?
• Brothers of Italy - And again?
• VOX - Why are there more of you? (please stop)