Introduction
Political parties were not a part of the United States Constitution when it was written. The United States was the first country to devise a democratic party structure in the early 1800s, allowing for the transfer of authority from one system to another. A referendum was used to do this. This is unequivocal proof that political parties existed in the early days of American history.
Political Parties in Early American History
During a couple of first presidencies, political parties were seen as organizations with bad intentions. Still, the parties stood firm amidst the wars and storms against them, and in the long run, they resulted to be more beneficial than evil as they were seen to be. They were major contributors to the constitutional implementation and methods of balances and checks. They provided platforms within which not only change but also growth was steered across the nation. This was through the provision of constitutional interpretations for the public to understand. The political parties experienced strong and weak points during these times which were defined by the Alien and Sedition Acts, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Bank War (Joseph).
Enforcement of Balances and Checks
Enforcement of balances and checks were performed by the political parties. A good example is what happened in the presidency governed by Jackson. The parties were involved in a debate as to who was to have power. The two choices available were the federal and state governments. The then president, Jackson was a member of the Republican Party. His idea was that the state should be given more power. The question was either to distribute money to small banks across the country or to maintain the Second National Bank. Jackson’s thinking and ideology were that the small banks be given money and the National Bank to be done away with. On the other side, the bank’s president and his opponent maintained that power should be left to the federal government. The political parties were involved in debates and discussions which resulted in the two forms of government sharing power (Joseph).
Strengthening the American Political System
The American political system was also strengthened by the political parties which provided frameworks through which the interpretation of the constitution was done. This enabled development and growth across the entire country. This was experienced in the presidency governed by President Jefferson, during which he followed the constitution to the latter but also implemented ideas from the federal government as well. An example is the purchase of Louisiana. In this occasion, the president wasn’t sure of his power to acquire land (purchase) on behalf of the country (Joseph). The president, being a Republican, decided that the best way to treat the matter was to take it as a treaty, which was allowed in the constitution. An occurrence of the same issue appears in Washington’s Presidency. In this case, the political parties showed the Americans that they were meant to assist the country in growth and development when they gave a helping hand in the United States Bank issue.
The Decline of Political Party Influence
The influence political parties are currently on the decline. This is a matter that is attributed to many factors such as the emergence of social networks and people, mostly young people, and their beliefs in personal views and relationships. This is a worrying problem to the political parties because providing such platforms is an issue, but the big problem is that the youth make a bigger percentage of voters in the United States (The Conversation). Also, political parties can be the cause of divide across the country. This has resulted in the creation of bad blood between people and is also a violation of the constitution.
Conclusion
The decline of influence and functions of political parties is a worrying problem because they are supposed to be frameworks which not only unite the diverse composition of the American people but also perform important functions as stated above. If they keep declining in their mandate, then it will come a day when they will have no meaning to the American people which they are meant to serve.
Works Cited
Joseph, Laila. Laila Joseph: The Positive Effects of Political Parties. 20 January 2012. Web Page. 31 October 2017.
The Conversation. The Waning Influence of American Political Parties. 31 March 2016. Web Page. 31 October 2017.
