In George Washington’s Farewell Address, he famously warned that partisanship threatened to destroy the union. Do these words ring true now more than ever? To understand Washington’s concern, it’s important to discuss partisan politics and its evolution. Following the American Revolution, the United States struggled to define its political stances. Differing ideologies between the Federalists, represented by Alexander Hamilton, and the Anti-federalists or Jeffersonians, led by Thomas Jefferson, made it difficult for the country to move forward.
To give background, the Federalists’ vision for the United States was to have a strong central government, while the Anti-Federalists wanted the states to have more power than the central government. This fundamental disagreement led to partisanship in the early American government and impacted the people heavily.
To give an example, the Federalists passed the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798 which threatened to deport, fine, or jail any foreign national who spoke out against the Federalist government. This act targeted Anti-federalist supporters, and in response, the Jeffersonians passed the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions, declaring that the federal government acted unconstitutionally.
This is not the only example of partisanship in American history. The earliest years of the 19th century hosted a multitude of problems from different political parties. One of the most famous was the Supreme Court case Marbury vs. Madison, which occurred because Thomas Jefferson, an Anti-federalist president, refused to deliver the commissions of the Federalist justices delivered.
However, this tense partisanship shifted throughout the 19th century, with the Era of Good Feelings marking an end to the struggles between the Federalists and Anti-federalists, now renamed the Democratic-Republicans. In addition, the Compromise of 1877, was a national compromise that settled the controversy about who should be the president of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes or Samuel Tilden, in exchange for demands. The political parties at the time, the Southern democrats, would only acknowledge Hayes as president if the Republicans would meet the demands of removing military forces from former confederate states, appointing a Southern democrat to Hayes's cabinet., constructing a new transcontinental railroad, legislation to restore the south’s economy, and the right to deal with African American citizens without northern interference in southern states.
So, how does partisan politics stand in the 20th century? And who is to blame?
The answer is complicated. We can see a parallel between the Southern Democrats’ denial of the election of 1876 and President Donald Trump’s denial of the 2020 election results. The denial of these election results spurred partisanship, with some republican lawmakers denying the results as well. Also, throughout the 20th century, both parties have grown more ideologically cohesive, contributing to partisanship. Democrats are now more liberal, and Republicans have become more conservative. Also, the demographics and geography of Congress have changed drastically. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly half of House Republicans come from Southern States, and nearly half of Democrats are Hispanic, Black, or Pacific Islander/Asian.
However, it’s important to note that we have seen some bipartisanship in Congress. A press release from Feb. 5 indicated that Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), Reps. Michael Cloud (TX-27), Dan Meuser (PA-09), Jared Golden (ME-02), Ed Case (HI-01), Tom McClintock (CA-05), introduced the bipartisan Cost Estimates Improvement Act. This act aims to bring more transparency to government spending.
But how does this affect the American people? According to the Pew Research Center,
Democrats and Republicans view not just the opposing party in a negative light, but also the people in that party. The Pew Research center additionally found that negative partisanship is increasing in many cases, with many Americans showing signs of frustration with both political parties. It will be interesting to see if this feeling changes amongst Americans in the midst of a new presidential administration.
Comments