Comparisson Between Democratic and Republican Parties
Even though Republicans and Democrats had similar organization and purposes, there were many issues separating the two. Some of those differences were in the ways the parties described themselves in their platforms and any other campaign appeals. By "waving the bloody shirt", Republicans asserted a virtual monopoly on patriotism. But that wasn't the extent to which the Republicans exploited the Civil War legacy. They voted to provide federal pensions to Union army veterans, widows, and orphans. Republicans cultivated the Grand Army of the Republic and urging them to "vote as you shot." Another theme for the Republican campaign was prosperity. They pointed to the economic growth of the postwar era claiming that their wise policies were responsible for it. Republicans never actually committed themselves in favor of prohibition but announced that they were in favor of "all wise
All in all, Democrats' position was much closer to laissez faire than that of the Republicans. The outcome of all this was the Farmers Alliance and eventually the birth of the People's Party - the Populists. The Populists called for federal action to reduce the power of big business and to assist farmers and workers. The farmers had to except the price the commodity markets offered since they had debts to pay and could not afford to store their crops for sale later. They pretty much complained everybody was overcharging them. As production grew faster than population, prices dropped. On the other side, most old-stock Protestants voted Republican, as well as most Scandinavian and British immigrants. They said the public domain should provide farms for citizens, not subsidies for corporations. Farmers also protested that local bankers charged more percent interest, and that giant corporations that made farm equipment and fertilizer overcharged them. While Republicans focused on describing what their party did and who they were, Democrats focused on explaining what they opposed. They also blamed the monopolistic practices of grain and cotton buyers. Also, most southern whites supported the Democrats. Another problem for the farmers were the railroads, which they claimed to be greedy monopolies that charged more money than they should since the farmers had no choice but to pay - since they relied on trains to carry their crops to market. Also, most African Americans supported Republicans, as well as most veterans of the abolition movement.
Common topics in this essay:
African Americans,
Army Republic,
Tweed Republicans,
Irish German,
Republicans Democrats,
Civil War,
Populists Populists,
Kuklux Klan,
Greenbackers Silverites,
Farmers Alliance,
african americans,
irish german,
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Acceptance Essays
