A Road Less Traveled Essay Research Paper

A Road Less Traveled Essay, Research Paper

The Road Less Traveled

The two main political parties in this century have contribute a great deal to the development of African-Americans. As America has develop so has African-Americans. Since politicians control everyday life, they can change history completely. In the upcoming state of America, African-Americans were at the lowest social status. But as time progressed, African-Americans obtained the opportunity of freedom, a new hope for .life. that they never had experienced in this New World.

The Democratic and Republican Party has been the foremost political parties for the last two centuries. The Republican Party, which was founded by a coalition in 1854, changed history for America and African-Americans. The Republicans opposition to extending slavery into the Western territories made great dissension between the two foremost political parties. Lincoln, who was a prominent Republican, became president and proposed containment of slavery, but the Democratic Party had other plans dealing with this troublesome issue. Many authern Democrats had planations, so their slaves were vital to their life. The southern Democrats belived that the industrious north was trying to hurt them finiacial as they had did in the past. Later, these types of debates lead to a break out of Civil War. After this catastrophic event, many slaves clung to the Republican Party when they were freed. Robert L. Vann, publisher and editor of the Pittsbugh Courier said, .[African Americans were offered options of ] between a party that gave them civil and political rights and a party whose stock-in-trade was racist demagoguery.. ( page 111) The Republican Party remained dominant throughout the late 1800.s and early 1900.s.

The Democratic Party can be trace back to a coalition in the 1790.s. This old party believed in local control and popular sovereign dealing with the spread of slavery. In congress laws were being pass in order to expand slavery terrioties to other regions of America. The Republicans has a contrast of ideas for they thought an expansion of slavery would destroy the .backbone. of the United States. Increased southern demands for the protection of slavery drove to Civil War. The lost of the Confederacy lead to Reconstruction and a revamp of the South and the Democratic Party. The old Confedrate leaders were not allowed to run for future offices. Many new laws were enforced on the southern states so that they could never rebel against the Union or their country again. The Democratic Party did not regain power until .The New Deal..

As a new century awakened, so did a new Democratic Party awake. There was a change in political ideas by African-Americans dealing with political parties. .The New Deal. was a massive and costly social reform started by Roosevelt to help the United States recover from a great depression. Some of these programs actually benefited African-Americans such as the Civilian Conservation Corps, Civil Works Adminstration, and the Social Security Act. There was an increase of outreach to the African-American community, and some social programs provided jobs for the poor (mostly minorities). African-Americans started to get a sense of being welcomed by the Democratic Party: .the old .pro-slavery. party. (page 2), says Valerie Burgher, a Howard University Student and author.

Political errors by the Republican Party cost them the .black vote.. Their errors ranged from inconsiderate speeches to a lack of new benefitual policies for African-Americans. Increasing amounts of blacks were leaving the .Lincoln. Party. African-Americans started to feel Republicans didn.t care about their personal issues. Robert L. Vann, publisher and editor of the Pittsburgh Courier retorted, . My friends, go turn Lincoln.s picture to the wall. That debt has been paid in full!. (page 115) Republicans,in essence, were throwing away the .black vote.. Loyal African-American Republicans were not mentioned, for the Republican Party started to seek white southern voters. Men such as Robert Moton, the successor of Booker T. Washington as president of the Tuskegee Institute, worked for Herbert Hoover. Many influential black newspaper remained faithfully conservative. .And they had their reward: Hoover made no mention of blacks in his many addresses,. says Deroy Murdoch. ( page 199) There were no clear explanations for ignoring the African-American community.s voices. African-Americans migrated in droves during the late 1930.s to the Democratic Party; as a consequence, African-Americans started to find hope in the Democratic Party which started to notice them extremely more than the Republican Party at the time.

Several problems within the Republican Party in the 1970.s and 80.s caused a even more downfall for the Republican Party. Republicans had difficulties with changing their methods of getting minority voters. Republicans had poor communication with minority communities, disbeliefs in Affirmative Action, Civil Rights Bills vetoed by radical Republicans, and .pay lip. service to the idea of reaching out to black votes. African-Americans were faced with certain personal issues, such as unfair treatment, wide spread unemployment, and a lack of proper education. Democrats started take African-Americans for granted ,and Republicans simply ignored African-Americans. Republicans were .out of step. on key minority iss