Political Manifesto

Political Manifesto “Let the people rule” was the slogan of former United States President and first Democrat of the people of the United States, Andrew Jackson. Democracy was made for the people, but not many Americans know a lot about the political party they support and what it does to help them. First I’m going to discuss some of the issues like gun control, Health care and the environment and also a brief history of the Democratic Party.

Next I will tell you about a few leaders that not only influenced my following of the Democratic Party, but also supported a lot of the same views and morals I follow every day. And finally I will discuss some of the social movements like, the Students for a Democratic Society, which affected Democratic students around the United States. The Democratic Party was formed from Anti-Federalist factions that were against fiscal policies in the 1790s and was then founded in the modern era in 1828 and led by Andrew Jackson.

The party has the lengthiest record of continuous operation in the United States and is among the oldest political parties in the world. (Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. , Democratic Party) The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United states along with the Republican Party and current President of the United States Barack Obama is the 15th Democrat to hold the office of the Presidency. (“American Presidents: Life Portrait. C-SPAN. Ret-Jan 12, 2009) There are a lot of issues in our society that Democrats are trying to take care of as well, such as the environment.

Many Democrats believe that the government should protect the environment by favoring expansion of conservation lands and exploring new means of alternative energy sources. The Democratic Party also encourages open space and rail travel to relieve highway and airport congestion and improve air quality and economy. Another issue that is taking a toll on Democrats today is health care reform. Democrats call for affordable and quality health care and many advocate an expansion of government intervention in this area.

More Democrats favor national health insurance or universal health care in a variety of forms to address the rising cost of modern health insurance. The Progressive Democrats of America, a group operating inside the Democratic Party, Has made single-payer universal health care one of their primary policy goals. (“Progressive Democrats of America-Priorities (Health Care for All)” Pdamerica. Org, ret-2010-06-07) Now when we talk about the issue of gun control, that can be a touchy subject with certain people Democrat or not.

With a stated goal of reducing crime and homicide, the Democratic Party has introduced various gun control measures. Some Democrats, especially rural, Southern, and Western Democrats, favor fewer restrictions on firearm possession and warned the party was defeated 2000 presidential election in rural areas because of the issue. (Abramsky, Sasha (2005-04-18). “Democrat Killer? ” the Nation. Retrieved 2006-10-10) Many men in the history of the Democratic Party have influenced the way many of us live today.

A few of these men, like Andrew Jackson, who was the first President of the United States that was a Democrat, helped shaped the party for future Americans. Andrew Jackson’s followers went on to create modern Democratic Party. The period during which this happened, 1830-1850, became later known as the era of Jacksonian Democracy (Wilentz, Sean. “Andrew Jackson” (2005), p. 2, 35) I believe Andrew Jackson was a great Democratic figure because of his appeal to the common citizen and how he supported states and federal rights.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was also a key Democrat in American history. His efforts as President of the United States were very crucial in helping the society grip together during very enduring times. He was a dominant leader of the Democratic Party and was the only American president elected more than two terms. He built a New Deal Coalition that realigned American politics after 1932, as his domestic policies defined American liberalism for the middle third of the 20th Century.

In 1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the G. I. Bill-a historic measure that provided unprecedented benefits for soldiers returning from World War II, including low-cost mortgages, loans to start a business, and tuition and living expenses for those seeking a higher education. And our current President of the United States Barack Obama is also a Democrat who was involved in many economic issues in America at the time of his inauguration. Mainly I choose to support Barack Obama because he was my former Commander in Chief, but also because of his involvement in foreign policy with enacting the draw-down of troops from Iraq in December 2010.

During its tenured history in America, the Democratic Party has seen its share of social movements, mainly of the few is Environmentalism. Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment. It advocates the preservation of the natural environment, and may be referred to as a movement to control pollution. (Environmentalism Definition; Merriam-webster. com. 2010-08-13. Retrieved 2012-06-20) Also having a big effect on Democratic students in America was the Students for a Democratic Society.

This group was a student activist movement in the United States that developed and expanded rapidly during the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969. The group centered mainly on the issues of direct action and student power within the nation. In the early 2000s the 9/11 Trust movement is ongoing and many conspiracy theories have surfaced during this time as well. These social movements were such an integral part of our history and in some way had an effect on our nation, no matter how little the issue may have seemed.

Picking the Democratic Party says a lot about a person and the morals they abide by. Aside from being one of the oldest political parties in the world, the Democratic Party has lots of issues that have affected the way they live their lives, like gun control across our nation, reform of a new nationwide healthcare plan and the effect we are having on our environment and what we can do to improve and/or preserve its current conditions not only across our country but around the world as well.

There were many big political figures like former United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the current and 44th President of the United States Barack Obama and the first Democratic President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, that helped not only influence my choice in the Democratic Party, but also in the way America was shaped.

Beyond the many figures that paved the way for Democracy to flourish in America, we had lots of social movements that also added to the way people live. Environmentalist movement, the 9/11 truth movement and the Students for a Democratic Society are just a few of the social movements that played a role in not just the Democratic Party, but the history of our great nation, the United States of America.