Tag: history

Ten Cent Jimmy

by earlthepearl137

There was a clue on “Jeopardy!” today that needs some clarification.

The “answer” was “Who is James Buchanan?”

The nickname is correct, but the context is way wrong, as are many details about President Buchanan that have been widely disseminated.  Here is the full story as told in “President James Buchanan” a biography by Philip Shriver Klein:

Pages 133-134.

The program of attack on Van Buren presupposed attacks on all his lieutenants.  In Pennsylvania there was a very effective propaganda campaign to prove that Buchanan had urged a banking program that would reduce the wages of labor to ten cents a day.  “Ten Cent Jimmy,” the pamphlets were labelled.  Buchanan, in formal debate, always presented as strongly as he could the case of the opposition, and then proceeded to demolish it systematically by his own arguments.  In supporting the Independent Treasury Bill, he had outlined the terrible conditions which would prevail unless banks were reformed and had then gone on to show how much better all would fare under the proposed bill.  Senator John Davis of Massachusetts took the first section of this speech, and offered it as Buchanan’s reasons for supporting the Independent Treasury.  He took the “ten cents a day” phrase and quoted it out of context, asserting that Buchanan supported the Independent Treasury Bill in the hope that it would reduce wages, destroy banks and deflate property values.  Davis’s speeches, when circulated in print, had tremendous political impact.

Forney reported from Pennsylvania:  “I do not know when I have been so much disgusted with the course of any political opponent as with that of this Mr. Davis-…  He must be either a mere catspaw of others, or a weak, addle-brained man, or a malignant and unscrupulous ruffian…  When I see the effect they are making here, by means of his villainous perversion of your intelligible Defence (sic) of the laborer, I cannot but put such a construction upon his unworthy conduct.  Why, Sir, they have flooded this county with his so-called Reply to you….  A copy has been sent to nearly every Democrat….  His whole speech is the assumption of the broad ground that the people are ignorant, and unable to discriminate between right and wrong.”

The human mind has not yet discovered the way of counteracting promptly the effect of the bold lie propagated by the prominent man.  History is full of pertinent illustrations.  If representative government has a nemesis, this is probably it.  The “Ten Cent Jimmy” lie seriously weakened Buchanan in Pennsylvania.

Forney proposed that the Democrats “challenge any responsible member of the opposition here to join in the republication of both yours and Davis’ speeches, both of which are to be published correctly and … bound together, and so circulated… If they do not accept, they are down forever.”  The opposition did not accept, nor was it down forever.  Instead, it proceeded to improve its advantage by reviving the “drop of blood” smear and sending that out with the “Ten Cent Jimmy” pamphlets.  Editor Middleton, of the Lancaster Examiner, did much of the printing.  He had recently distinguished himself by shooting James Cameron when Cameron came in to beat him up for other lies he had published.  Buchanan was for “carrying the war into Carthage,” but his friends advised against it.  “It’s only giving tone to falsehoods by heeding them,” wrote Judge Champneys.

Buchanan made several long defensive speeches in the Senate on the “Ten Cent Jimmy” accusations.  “If the most artful and unfair man in the world had determined to destroy any public measure,” he asked, “in what manner would he most effectually damn it in public estimation?  It would be to enumerate all the terrible consequences which would flow from it, according to the predictions of its enemies, and put them into the mouth of its friends as arguments in its favor.  There could not by possibility be any stronger admission of its evil tendency….  This is the ridiculous attitude in which I am placed by the Senator’s speech.  If these imputations were well founded, I must be one of the most ferocious men in existence.  Destruction must be my delight. No wild agrarian in the country has ever thought of waging such an indiscriminate war against all property, my own among the rest, as that which has been attributed to me by the Senator.”  But Buchanan’s exposure of Davis’s fraud proved a futile effort.  People found it easier to say “Ten Cent Jimmy” than to read a rebuttal, and the nickname stuck.

Today, we have another Presidential candidate, who delights in bold lies and giving horrible nicknames to his opponents.  Nancy Pelosi was called “Crazy Nancy” and “Nervous Nancy.”  Hillary Clinton was called “Crooked Hillary.”  Even fellow Republicans were verbally attacked if they dared to run against Donald Trump in the primaries.  Jeb Bush was “Low Energy Jeb.”  Ted Cruz was “Lyin’ Ted.”  Well, that one was probably well-deserved, though.  Ron DeSantis was “Meatball Ron” or “Ron DeSanctimonious.”  Nikki Haley was “Birdbrain.”  Marco Rubio was “Little Marco.”

Now, Trump has turned his sights on Joe Biden with nicknames like “Basement Biden” or “Sleepy Joe.”  But some people have turned the tables on the orange hate-spewer.  Stormy “Horseface” Daniels was one of the star witnesses against him in the case that found him guilty of 34 Felonies.  The other star witness against him, Michael Cohen also turned the tables with a nickname of his own for Trump, “Donald Von ShitsinPantz.”

How are we supposed to act when our opponents are cruel or act like a bully?  Michelle Obama said, “When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level.  No, our motto is ‘When they go low, we go high.’”

James Buchanan, himself, had advice for settling differences, when he said, “The ballot box is the surest arbiter of disputes among free men.”  Keep that in mind this November, and make sure that Donald Trump will no longer be able to bully the country like he tried to do on January 6th, 2021.

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl

Happy Father’s Day

by earlthepearl137

MY DAD AT REUNION TIME – A story I wrote for the 3rd Armored Division’s website.

By Earl Paulson

3AD.com Web Editor’s Note: This is a part-humorous, part-serious “must read” for anyone who knows Hap Paulson personally or knows him through his Army-related poetry. The author is the oldest son of Harold “Hap” Paulson (703rd TD Bn & 3AD Association Poet Laureate). In this true and often side-splitting story, Earl writes of events surrounding the trip he made with his father to the Association Reunion in July, 2005, in Indianapolis. This work first appeared in Earl’s personal newsletter called “Earl’s Wearld” and then in the Association Newsletter in Sept., 2005.

I’m back from my Dad’s 3rd Armored Division Army reunion. What a week! I hadn’t spent five straight days with my father since I was a teenager at Boy Scout Camp. It was quite an experience. I’m amazed that my mother lived with the man for more than fifty years and never once tried to kill him (or herself). My Dad has both a photographic memory for old jokes, and the uncanny ability to spot them in everyday life. He also has the gift of gab, though I’m not really sure that it would rightly be called a gift.

The night before we left for Indianapolis, I stayed with him at his summer house in Yaphank, NY. Reveille was at oh-three-thirty. That’s 3:30 A.M. to you civilians. My 86-year-old father, who can no longer read without his glasses and a magnifying glass, but still has his Florida driver’s license, drove us to Islip Airport in the middle of the night. Surprisingly, I wasn’t afraid, even though it was pitch black and pouring rain, because I couldn’t see either.

Somehow, we managed to get to the practically vacant airport long-term parking lot around 4:30 A.M. We sloshed the couple hundred feet to the terminal to find that they were only kidding us about having to be at the airport two hours before our 7 A.M. flight. The counter wasn’t even open yet — nor was the coffee shop.

My father is a very religious man. While we were waiting in the airline terminal, he took out his rosary beads to pray. All the security guards saw this. When we got to the security check we were both strip-searched before we could get on the plane. Despite this, the flight to Philadelphia did, still, leave on time and with us on board. The connecting flight in Philadelphia, though, was delayed, because of bad weather the day before. We had a three-hour layover in Philly. We took a shuttle bus from Terminal F, where we had landed, to Terminal C, where the connecting flight to Indianapolis would depart. After that, we still had two and a half hours to kill.

My dad loves pancakes, so we decided to find a MacDonald’s and have breakfast. Surely, there had to be a MacDonald’s in one of the food courts. There was. However, it was in terminal A! The original reason for me to take this trip was because my father’s heart condition made him feel uncomfortable about traveling alone. My Uncle Leon, who went with him to the reunion held in Europe last year, was going to go with him again this year, but he had heart problems of his own and was unable to make it this year.

So, aware of my father’s heart problem, but also aware that we had a lot of time to kill, I asked my Dad if he was up for a leisurely stroll to the McDonald’s in Terminal A. He told me that he goes to a gym regularly and does 20 minutes on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the stationary bike every day, so, he could handle it. It took us almost an hour, because it was so far away, but we made it there no problem. On the way back though, Dad tried to stop all of the golf carts taking handicapped people from one gate to another. He faked three heart attacks trying to get them to stop. Nobody stopped. They just rang their little bicycle-type bells at him and sped by.

When we eventually got back to terminal C, we still had plenty of time before our flight. So, he wandered about our waiting room asking everyone over 60 if they were going to Indianapolis for the 3rd Armored Division Reunion. Anybody who wasn’t going to the reunion was regaled with a brief history of the famed “Spearhead” Division. Finally, though, he found someone who was taking his grandson to the reunion. We all agree to share a cab from the airport. Well, the reunion committee had mentioned something in their newsletter about an arrangement being made with a local cab company for a special rate for those people attending the reunion. So, when we got to the terminal in Indianapolis, my father asked the girl at the limousine desk where we could find that cab service. “Right here,” she said without missing a beat, and I knew this girl was a natural for sales. The next thing I knew, the four of us are riding in a limousine capable of holding an entire Army platoon. I felt like a rock star.

We drove past the downtown section of Indianapolis, and then just kept going and going. The hotel seemed to be closer to Chicago than Indianapolis. Finally, we got to the hotel, and the old soldiers who were already there saw the size of the stretch limo and thought a General must be arriving. The Sheraton hotel we stayed in had two buildings. After checking in, we wandered up and down the 6th floor for an hour looking for room 643 before we found out it was in the other building. Hup-two-three-four. On we marched. We registered for all the events Dad wanted to attend, and then found ourselves with time on our hands before the first event. We had already done enough walking for the day, so we decided to visit the hotel pool and relax. We changed into our bathing suits and headed for the 3rd floor pool. When we got there, we found that it was closed for the day for routine maintenance. We got back on the elevator which was now full of Dad’s old Army buddies. “How’s the pool, Hap?” (That’s what my Dad’s friends call him. His initials are H.A.P., Harold A. Paulson.) “We got thrown out,” he tells everyone on the elevator, as he sees an opening to tell a joke. “The lifeguard caught my son peeing in the pool and threw us both out.” My son argued that it wasn’t fair because everyone occasionally pees in a pool, but the lifeguard said, “That may be true, but nobody else does it from the diving board.” Half of his buddies laughed at the joke. The other half gave me a strange look. Fortunately, we had reached our floor by then.

The week was filled with enjoyable social events, but there were also many serious moments, such as the memorial service for the many “Spearheaders” who died during World War II. A list of their names was posted, and I didn’t have time to count all of them, but I counted over 700 names in just one Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Armored Division. My father’s unit, the 703rd Tank Destroyers, had 71 guys killed in action. During the war, my father was lieutenant-in-charge of a platoon of 32 men. Those 32 guys were collectively awarded a total of 64 Purple Hearts, but only one died. He was Earl R. McCleary, and I was named after him, even though he was a poor illiterate sharecropper from Virginia who had absolutely nothing in common with my father other than that they had gone through Hell together. When I listened to the stories these guys told me during the week, I thought of that Billy Ray Cyrus song, “All Gave Some; Some Gave All.”

That’s enough of the serious moments. I have a lot more bloopers to share. Being guests of the hotel gave us privileges to use Bally’s Fitness Center next door. I decided to accompany my dad on his daily trips to the gym to do the cardiovascular routine prescribed by his doctor. Since I was there anyway, I figured I’d take advantage of the machines too, especially after I saw my reflection in the full-length mirrors on every wall. I knew from previous experience years ago how to use the Nautilus equipment, varying the weights to amounts that I could do without killing myself. I didn’t want to push myself too hard, even if I did need a good workout. After all, I was there to keep an eye on my dad’s health, not create problems with my own. I had never been on a treadmill before, but I figured I’d give it a try since walking is one thing I know I’m naturally good at.

So, while Dad did his stretching exercises, I headed for the fancy machine. It was computer operated, but there was more to it than just turning it on. I had to use a keyboard to enter all sorts of data. The machine calculated my target rate based upon factors such as my weight and age. My target rate was 106 heartbeats per minute. I pushed the button for an aerobic workout and started to walk. There were sensors in the machine that automatically monitor the heart rate, but you have to be wearing some kind of belt. I wasn’t wearing one of those devices, so the machine just assumed, as a starting point, a normal pulse around 60 or so and the conveyor belt started. When the machine did not detect any increase in my pulse rate, after so many seconds, it increased speed and inclination to help me reach my target heart rate. So, every testing cycle, the machine would continue to measure my pulse rate at the same 60 beats per minute and determine that I was not yet expending enough energy to produce an effective workout and automatically increased both speed and elevation. Before long I was on a machine going 90 degrees straight uphill at the speed of sound – that sound being my screaming as I did my best imitation of a Vonage “stupid things people do” commercial.

On Saturday my father and I headed for a post-workout dip in the pool, only to find that the pool was once again closed. This time some kid pooped in the pool. We got back on the elevator and another group of Army buddies suddenly became the audience my father needed for the chance to tell the same exact diving board joke another time. I pictured my Mom in Heaven rolling her eyes, shaking her head, and saying “That’s Harold.”

Since Dad and I now had time on our hands, we changed out of our bathing attire and went to the Spearhead hospitality room for a beer. Sure enough, as soon as we got there, Dad told all the guys who asked him why he wasn’t in the pool, that we had gotten thrown out because I took a dump from the diving board. (Author’s note. The pool was only 5 feet deep at the deepest end and didn’t even have a diving board.)

On our way home from the reunion, Dad was at the flight gate again praying his rosary. Now, London had just been hit by four terrorist attacks the day before. Everyone in the waiting room who was watching him was getting nervous. So, he was strip-searched again. This time they let me go, but I noticed that they kept an eye on me. Boarding the flight home on the Philadelphia-to-Islip leg, my father and I were sitting in the aisle across from one another. A pretty coed is sitting next to me. The seat next to my father is vacant. Then just before takeoff time a middle-aged woman comes up the aisle with a huge potted plant. Naturally, she has the window seat next to my father. Instantly, he starts making conversation with her. I turned to him and said, “I did what I could to make sure you stayed alive the last five days, but if you tell this lady I pooped in the hotel pool, I’m going to strangle you right here on this plane.

“Get well soon, Uncle Leon. (Please.)

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl

AI-o AI-o It’s Off to Work I Go

by earlthepearl137

I’m currently working on a stage play about President Buchanan called Buchanan: A Rock Between Two Hard Places.  It takes place at Wheatland, his former mansion, but now a tourist location in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  The situation shifts back and forth from 1863, when the Southern Army is in Gettysburg, Pa, just across the river from Lancaster, Pa.  to the present day when a group of tourists are taking a guided tour of the house.  They go from room to room and the modern group tells the story of the Buchanan administration, while in 1863, ex-President Buchanan is trying desperately to convince his niece, Harriet Lane, that she should evacuate Lancaster for a place further away from the war.

The tour group debates the issues of the Buchanan administration and his standing in history.  Most either don’t know much about Buchanan or have a low opinion of him (based partly on the short video they watched prior to starting the tour), but one Franklin & Marshall student taking the tour is a big fan of Buchanan.

That’s what I entered into Bing Copilot, Microsoft’s entry into the AI market.

This is what I got back:

Copilot:

Your stage play, “Buchanan: A Rock Between Two Hard Places,” sounds intriguing! The juxtaposition of historical events and the present-day tourist experience at Wheatland creates a captivating narrative. Let’s delve into the layers of your play:

  1. Setting and Structure:
    • Wheatland, once President Buchanan’s mansion, now serves as a tourist attraction in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
    • The play oscillates between two critical time periods:
      • 1863: The Southern Army looms near Gettysburg, just across the river from Lancaster. Ex-President Buchanan grapples with convincing his niece, Harriet Lane, to evacuate to a safer location.
      • Present Day: Tourists explore Wheatland, moving from room to room. Their discussions weave the story of the Buchanan administration.
  2. Tourist Debates:
    • The modern-day tour group engages in lively debates about Buchanan’s legacy. Their opinions are shaped by a short video they watched before the tour.
    • Most visitors either lack knowledge about Buchanan or hold a dim view of his presidency.
  3. The Buchanan Enthusiast:
    • Amidst the skeptics, a Franklin & Marshall student stands out—a staunch Buchanan supporter. Their admiration for the ex-President adds an interesting dynamic to the play.
  4. Buchanan’s Dilemma:
    • In 1863, Buchanan faces the weighty decision of ensuring Harriet Lane’s safety during the war. His desperation to convince her to leave Lancaster underscores the urgency of the situation.
  5. Historical Context:
    • Buchanan’s presidency was marked by challenges, including the impending Civil War. His actions during this critical period continue to shape his reputation.
  6. Title Symbolism:
    • The title, “A Rock Between Two Hard Places,” aptly captures Buchanan’s predicament—caught between historical forces and personal relationships.

As you craft your play, consider exploring Buchanan’s complexities, the impact of war, and the enduring questions about leadership and legacy. 🎭📜

1: Exploring the writer’s perspective: Between a Rock and a Hard Place – Aron Ralston 2: Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Teaching During COVID 3: James Buchanan: A Rock Between Two Hard Places

I did a double-take.  Or more like a triple-take.  Did Bing Copilot just use as its 3rd reference an article I wrote myself on my own blog.  It sure did. I’ve become the “go-to guy” on the subject of James Buchanan.

Here’s that original blog, in case you’re curious.

James Buchanan: A Rock Between Two Hard Places

november 5, 2018 by earlthepearl137

Usually when historians are asked to rate the U.S. Presidents, they put James Buchanan at the bottom.  I think this is very unfair.  He was a very good President, who just happened to be elected at the very worst time in U.S. history.

The country was on the verge of Civil War when he was elected in 1856.  Abolitionists in the North desperately wanted to crush slavery and the South along with it.  Secessionists in the South were afraid of the dire consequences they would have to face if slavery, which had legally existed in America for 200 years, was outlawed and 4 million negroes were suddenly free to take merciless revenge on their masters.  Buchanan had to use everything he learned during his forty plus years of public service to keep the powder keg from exploding, and he managed to do so.  Then the election of Abraham Lincoln lit the fuse, and all Hell broke loose.

Rather than acknowledging Buchanan’s peace keeping efforts, both sides immediately blamed him for the war.  Though Buchanan had strong sympathies for the South, he was also a strong Unionist and, for the sake of the preservation of the Union, he had to endure the lies that were spread about him by both sides.  He didn’t want to further incite the South, so he couldn’t level blame on them for seceding, and he didn’t want to cast aspersions on the new President during wartime by blaming Republicans and Abolitionists for driving the South to secede.  He was literally a rock between two hard places, and for the sake of the Union had to take the abuse that was heaped on him without defending himself.  His silence only caused both sides to increase their level of abuse until his reputation was utterly destroyed.

He did not wish to stand idly by, though, and he wrote his memoirs to correct all the lies that were being spoken and printed about him.  He loved his country so much, though, that he refused to publish his defense until the War was over.  Then the Civil War dragged on and on for years and by the time he published his memoirs in 1866 it was already too late to save his reputation.  History had already painted him as the villain, and he knew that a century would have to go by before his name could ever hope to be cleared.  Unfortunately, a century and a half has gone by, and historians still fail to give him a fair trial.  I’m sure they feel that removing blame for the Civil War from Buchanan would force them to place some of the blame on Abolitionists and Lincoln, and that just ain’t gonna happen.  Lincoln had already been made into a god.  After all, Lincoln freed the slaves, and he was the victim of an assassination.  He’s one of the four Presidents on Mount Rushmore.  His place in history was literally and perpetually carved in stone.  So, Buchanan has to continue suffering “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.”  Maybe, it will be another century before James Buchanan can get a fair hearing with historians and escape the bottom ranking…unless, of course, if Donald Trump continues the way he’s going.

Our representatives are chosen in free elections.  The best way to get good representatives in government is for the people to study the issues, study the candidates, and be sure to vote.  Tomorrow is Election Day.  Vote wisely.

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl

James Buchanan’s Birthday PartyApril 26, 2020In “James Buchanan”

Ten-Cent JimmyFebruary 21, 2022With 1 comment

The Royal TreatmentJune 3, 2019In “Buchanana Park”

tagged james buchananedit”james buchanan: a rock between two hard places”

AI continued to use articles I wrote as reference material.  I was both flattered and impressed.  I decided to keep going with the AI, just to see how much more it could help me.  James Buchanan became the President in 1857, the same year that the S S Central America sank in a hurricane leaving 450 men dead and 21 tons of California gold rush gold lying at the bottom of the ocean.  I read all about it in a book called, The Ship of Gold at the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea.  Captain Herndon was the captain of the S S Central America.  When he knew that the ship would eventually sink, he got all the men on board busy bailing out the incoming water while he transferred lifeboat after lifeboat of the women and children to the nearest ship to them, the Marine, captained by Captain Johnsen.  Captain Johnsen rescued 100 passengers.  Some 50 passengers who were floating on flotsam and jetsam from the ship were later rescued by a Norwegian ship, Ellen, which was passing through the area.

I asked AI about the incident.

Among other things, AI told me that President Buchanan gave a gold chronometer to Captain Herndon in recognition of his heroism during the disaster.

Wait a minute.  Captain Herndon was swimming in Davy Jones locker, and certainly not available for any medals ceremony in Washington, D.C.

AI lied to me, and I knew it.  Dead men get medals, but they don’t appear at medal ceremonies.  I also knew from reading the book that President Buchanan actually issued the golden Chronometer to Captain Johnsen, the live captain of the rescue ship, Marine.

So, my point is that AI is an incredible tool that can help just about everyone with just about everything, but it won’t hesitate to stretch the truth a bit for the sake of a good story.  It’s my kind of ap.

By the way, Captain Herndon was recognized for his heroism with a 21-foot-tall Granite Monument at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.  Every year the first-year students celebrate the end of their first year at Annapolis by climbing to the top of the monument.  And every year the senior class puts about 50 lb. of grease on the monument to make it a lot more interesting.  The story of the Herndon Climb is another thing I learned from AI, and, of course, I fact-checked it. Maybe on James Buchanan’s birthday, April 23rd, I’ll see if I can get some Franklin & Marshall students to grease Buchanan’s statue in Buchanan Park and we’ll see if anyone can climb it.

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl

If We Turn off the lights, the Party is over.

by earlthepearl137

The two-party system has been a dominant feature of U.S. politics, almost from the beginning.  George Washington, our first President, did not run for President on a Party ticket.  George Washington was not elected by a popular vote in the way modern presidents are chosen. Instead, he was unanimously elected by the Electoral College. He is the only President who ever won with a unanimous vote of the electorate.  Later, when different political parties formed, he was considered a member of the Federalist Party.  The Federalist Party was one of the country’s first political parties. It was led by figures such as Alexander Hamilton and John Adams. The party favored a strong federal government and was supportive of the Constitution. The Federalists declined after the War of 1812 and eventually dissolved.

For as far back as I can remember, the major political parties have been the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.  However, there have been third-party candidates representing other political viewpoints.  In 2020, the Libertarian Party nominee for President was Jo Jorgensen.  The Green Party candidate was Howie Hawkins.  Don Blankenship was the candidate for the Constitution Party.  None of these third-party candidates garnered any electoral votes, and they knew ahead of time that they wouldn’t, but they wanted to have a platform to express their views, and they did.

Many different political parties have come and gone over the years.  The Whig Party emerged in the 1830s as an opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson. The party attracted a coalition of anti-Jackson forces, including former National Republicans and Anti-Masonic Party members. The Whigs were active in the mid-19th century but collapsed due to internal divisions over issues such as slavery.

The Know Nothing Party, also known as the American Party, gained prominence in the 1850s. It was characterized by nativism, anti-immigrant sentiment, and opposition to Catholicism. The Know Nothings were influential for a brief period but faded away due to the national focus shifting to the issue of slavery.

The Progressive Party (Bull Moose Party) formed by former President Theodore Roosevelt in 1912, was a short-lived third party. Roosevelt ran as its presidential candidate after losing the Republican nomination. The party advocated for progressive reforms, but it ultimately declined after the 1912 election.

The Dixiecrats (States’ Rights Democratic Party) formed in 1948 as a faction of Southern Democrats dissatisfied with the Democratic Party’s civil rights platform.  Led by Strom Thurmond, the party opposed desegregation. While not a long-lasting party, it reflected regional discontent within the Democratic Party.

These parties played significant roles during their respective times but either disbanded or declined due to changing political landscapes, internal conflicts, or shifts in public opinion. The two major parties in the U.S., the Democrats and Republicans, have remained the dominant political forces for many years.  Both parties have evolved over time, adapting to changes in the political and social landscape. The Democratic Party has a longer history, while the Republican Party emerged as a response to the sectional conflicts of the mid-19th century.

The Democratic Party is one of the oldest political parties in the world and has its roots in the Democratic-Republican Party formed in the 1790s in opposition to the Federalist Party.  The Democratic-Republican Party, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, advocated for states’ rights, agrarian interests, and strict interpretation of the Constitution. It eventually split into factions, with the followers of Andrew Jackson forming the Democratic Party.  That party embraced the idea of popular democracy and expanded suffrage to a broader segment of the population. Jackson’s election in 1828 marked a turning point in the party’s history.

The Republican Party was founded in the mid-19th century in response to the contentious issues of the time and the expansion of the United States westward.  Opposition to the spread of slavery into new territories was a key factor that led to the formation of the Republican Party. Activists, former Whigs, and anti-slavery Democrats came together to form a new political force.  The Free Soil Party, active in the 1848 and 1852 elections, opposed the extension of slavery into the newly acquired territories, and many Free Soilers later joined the Republican Party.  The Republican Party was officially founded on March 20, 1854, in Ripon, Wisconsin. The party’s first platform focused on opposition to the expansion of slavery and promoting industrialization.

The election of Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate, further solidified the Republican Party as a major political force. The election played a role in the secession of Southern states and the onset of the Civil War.

So, while it is difficult for us nowadays to picture any political parties other than the Democrats and the Republicans, there have been many many groups that have formed over the years, and now it seems that there is yet another one forming, the MAGA Party, led by Donald Trump.  He has steadily siphoned off almost half of the Republican party, forming his new party, a party that wants to suspend the Constitution and give the President more power, similar to the authoritarian powers of Vladimir Putin in Russia, Kim Jong Un in North Korea, and Viktor Orban in Hungary.  These powers would also include immunity from prosecution for any and all crimes committed by the President, including the assassination of his political rivals. 

Is this the end of the Republican Party?  Not likely.  The current party leaders lack the guts to stand up to the Trump mob, and even Nikki Haley, who is running against him in the Republican primaries, has stated publicly that she will support him if he is the Republican Party’s nominee for President.  Eventually, new, more courageous leaders will emerge, though, who will take back the ideals of the Grand Old Party, but that will first require a crushing defeat of the MAGA Party in the November election. 

We need two strong political parties in this country.  I feel that the liberal Democratic Party is the gas pedal that propels the country forward, and the conservative Republican Party is the brake pedal that keeps us from skidding out of control and running off the road.  One, without the other, is not good for the country.  So, I call upon all Democrats to help save the Grand Old Republican Party from the MAGA cancer that is killing it from within.  Help restore sanity in government by solidly crushing the MAGA Party in November.

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl