American History Summary

American History Summary
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Institutional Affiliation

Summary
For a long time, the politics of the United States has been characterized by competition for power and influence. Since the times of Abraham Lincoln, the US has experienced extreme competition in politics, particularly during general elections. America has had two main political parties. The parties include the Democrats and the Republicans. It has always been racing against time for these parties when competing for political power to outdo one another. For example, in the 1870s, Republicans mostly dominated the Democrats. The North was composed of mostly Republicans and the Southern States had more Democrats. The Southern States mostly felt that the North was oppressing them. The South felt that the North was dominating political power at its expense. Also, another notable feature was that the Northern States were richer than their southern counterparts. Some of these differences still persist today because the United States is characterized by states which are mainly Democrats and Republicans.
The fight for supremacy between Democrats and Republicans has not only played out in the public sphere during divisive campaigns but also in the house debates. The House of Congress has historically been characterized by extreme fights between the significant political parties of Democrats and Republicans. The fights have played out publicly and in the house. The reconstruction and reintegration debate has been a non-starter idea in the House of Congress.

Political polarization dominated the reign of Abraham Lincoln. However, his assassination did not help matters as the polarization continued. Lincoln was a Northerner who tried to initiate cohesion with no success. When his Vice-President took over, he did not resolve the issue of divisive politics that persisted. Lincoln was a Republican while his deputy Andrew Johnson was a Democrat from the south. Johnson tenure in the White House featured some significant infighting between Democrats and Republicans. He never brought harmony between the two opposing political sides.
Historically, the Senate and the House of Congress has acted as a check to the executive headed by the American President. The separation of power between the executive and the legislative arm is an excellent idea that exists up to today. A rogue executive cannot be allowed to hold sway in the rule of the nation. The constitution clearly stipulates the separation of powers between all the arms of government. The arms include the executive, legislature, and judiciary. The courts act as an arbiter of justice in the judiciary. The reconstruction debate aimed at ensuring that there is cohesion between the executive and the legislature. Also, States would be allowed to form their own governments through devolved units. It is an excellent idea that would ensure there was a separation of powers between the central government headed by the presidency and federal government headed by the governors. The judiciary played a pivotal role and continues to do so regarding administering oaths to the different governments.
The reconstruction era of the 1870s allowed elections to be held that would either allow Democrats or Republicans to win. Elections served as a neutralizing factor that would ensure governments oscillated between Democrats and Republicans. For example, the defeated Southern States felt that they needed to lead the country at some point. Therefore, they supported holding of regular elections. The Southerners were mainly Democrats and the Northerners were mainly Republicans. The supporters of the two main political parties supported elections that would ensure either side ruled the nation at some point. Political dominance is an issue that still persists today. Both Democrats and Republicans wanted to rule the nation as it would ensure they control rules and laws governing the nation. Also, the winning side would be the custodian of the constitution and in control of government machinery. The restoration and reintegration plans were supported by all leaders of the political divide as it would bring unity to the country.
The powers of the president of the United States are protected and defined in the constitution which is the supreme law. The President heads the executive and thus has executive privilege which is protected by the constitution. Executive powers and privileges happen to be the constitutional principle that gives sweeping powers to the president and those around him. However, the powers of the president are controversial as some of the powers exerted by his office are not agreeable to most people as it is claimed they do not exist in the constitution. Some heads of states have historically misused their powers bestowed upon them to the detriment of other people.
The Bill of Rights is a significant feature of the US constitution. George Washington was a leader who played a pivotal role in the enactment of the Bill of Rights. The amendment to the constitution was crucial at that time and so is today. However, some people opposed the implementation and enactment of the Bill of Rights. Some people argued that the Bill of Rights would make the rights of others be infringed upon. The 9th Amendment came to cure this anomaly by stating that the Bill of Rights did not entirely violate the constitutional rights of other people.

AMERICAN HISTORY PAGE * MERGEFORMAT 2

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