A Road Less Traveled

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...