User:Brxbrx/uspolitics

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The politics of the United States can be described as the current and historical interplay of American voters and their leaders (elected or not) to control and manage the US. Since its inception, the United States of America has been divided along federalism and anti-federalism lines. These divides have worked their way into other aspects of American Politics as well, setting the stage for a perpetual two-party system. The politics of the US reflect this through various parties throughout history.


Contents

[edit] The Two Party System

There has always been tension in the United States against those who wanted a strong federal system of government, and those that favored "States' Rights". This single thread has run though the US political system throughout its history, pushing other issues, including social rights issues, economic issues, and foreign relations into those two primary positions about "how best to run a government".

[edit] History of US politics

After the end of the Revolutionary war, a strong anti-federalist sentiment lead to the Articles of Confederation. [citation needed] With this proto-constitution, states had the power to make their own currency, raise their own armies, and were each given a single vote in the Continental Congress (in order to prevent larger states from dominating the smaller ones). The Continental Congress, on the other hand, could not raise taxes (remember the cause of the American Revolution?), could not regulate trade between states, and could not raise an army without the participation of the states. The states participation was lacking, except when in their best interests.

[edit] The Constitutional Convention

an historic moment

The Articles of Confederation were not particularly functional. Congress was broke and powerless, and interstate stability was in question following Shays' Rebellion in Massachusetts, where the army was unpayed and not provided funds for simple lodging or food. Thus James Madison proposed the Constitutional Convention. A bunch of stuffy upperclassmen then secluded themselves and drafted what we now call the Constitution. A number of interesting developments happened here:

  • The formation of a bi-cameral legislature, with a house consisting of delegates elected by population and a house with delegates elected by location. This was so small states could not be dominated by larger ones and so the population was represented.
  • The 3/5 Compromise, demonstrating typical colonialist contempt for human life. Southern states wanted to include slaves as population aso as to increase their votes. Northern states did not want that. A compromise was thus reached so that slaves were considered 3/5ths of a person when it came to counting votes.
  • The Bill of Rights, to reassure skeptics that much of their hard won autonomy would be preserved. These only concerned actions taken by the federal government, giving the states plenty of leeway when it came to screwing their own people. Note that this changed with the Fourteenth Amendment, which made it so the states had to enforce the Bill of Rights.

[edit] Judicial Review

Not long after the US was established (for real this time, we swear!), the Supreme Court case of Marbury v. Madison established the precedent of judicial review. This gave the Supreme Court the authority to to decide the constitutionality of laws passed by Congress and the President.[1] COULD USE BACKGROUND INFO

[edit] Manifest destiny

See the main article on this topic: Manifest destiny

These folks believed it was the destiny of the United States to occupy both coasts on the North American continent, previous occupants be damned. After the Louisiana purchase colonists pushed further and further West. Andrew Jackson, president then, ordered the evacuation of Native American populations, despite a Supreme Court ruling telling him he couldn't do that.

whigs-->republicans

[edit] The Civil War

See the main article on this topic: American Civil War

With time, original provisions in the constitution forbade the importation of further slaves from Africa. Slave owners were required to trade in preexisting "stock." Furthermore, abolitionism grew in the North, which never had much use for slaves. Faced with losing their coveted lifestyle, Southern states adopted a fiercer and fiercer states' rights position. Upon the election of Abraham Lincoln, many states seceded to form the Confederacy, ostensibly to preserve states' rights. Wartime politics consisted of people wanting peace, and people wanting war (whether for the sake of union or abolition).

[edit] Reconstruction

The South soundly defeated, Republicans found themselves with an obscene amount of power. Laws preventing Confederate veterans of participating in elections made it so many blacks had opportunities in office. [2] The Republican party found itself divided between radicals and moderates, the former wishing to whip the South into further submission. The South attempted to create Black Codes, to keep former slaves down, but the Republicans passed the 14th Amendment, rendering these null. This could not last, however, and eventually Reconstructionists lost political power and Confederate veterans were replaced by their children- and though the South had many former slaves, they were still in the minority compared to whites. During the presidency of Rutherford Hayes, soldiers were removed from Southern towns (though Hayes was a Reconstructionist, he withdrew the army as a back room deal in order to get elected). Without soldiers, Hayes was unable to enforce Reconstruction policies. Democrats gained control of the Senate, giving them control of both houses, and at this point the Reconstruction era may as well have been over. [3]

[edit] The war to end all wars

In the beginnings of the war the public was divided over the issue of intervention. President Woodrow Wilson wished for the States to be a mediator,[4] though the war continued in spite of this. He managed to win reelection with the slogan "He kept us out of war." One year later he felt war had become necessary With the first World War came strong anti-German sentiment, resulting in silly new naming conventions: dachshunds became liberty pups, and sauerkraut became liberty cabbage.

[edit] Nevermind

[edit] Red scare

[edit] nixon?

See the main article on this topic: Richard Nixon

[edit] st. reagan?

See the main article on this topic: Ronald Reagan

[edit] Glasnost?

[edit] today

[edit] External links

[edit] Footnotes

  1. The Establishment of Judicial Review
  2. examples go here
  3. http://oyc.yale.edu/history/civil-war-and-reconstruction/content/transcripts/transcript-26-race-and-reunion-the-civil-war-in
  4. Wilson's address to congress
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