Democratic Party (United States)

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"Democratic Party" redirects here. For other uses, see Democratic Party (disambiguation).
Democratic Party
AbbreviationDems
ChairpersonJaime Harrison (SC)
U.S. PresidentJoe Biden (DE)
U.S. Vice PresidentKamala Harris (CA)
Speaker of the HouseNancy Pelosi (CA)
Senate Majority LeaderChuck Schumer (NY)
FounderThomas Jefferson
James Madison
Andrew Jackson
Martin Van Buren
FoundedMay 13, 1792; 229 years ago (May 13, 1792)
Headquarters430 South Capitol St. SE, Washington, D.C., 20003
Student wingCollege Democrats of America
High School Democrats
Women's wingNational Federation of Democratic Woman
IdeologyMajority:
Liberalism
Social liberalism
Democracy
Republicanism
Constitutionalism
Factions:
Social democracy
Centrism
Progressivism
Majority rule
Neoliberalism
Democratic socialism
Civil rights
Populism
Classical liberalism
Conservatism
Libertarianism
Pluralism
Environmentalism
Trade unionism
Conservative liberalism
Egalitarianism
Secularism
Liberal conservatism
Multiculturalism
Website
www.democrats.org

The United States Democratic Party is one of the two biggest political parties in the United States of America. The other is the Republican Party. The U.S. also has several smaller political parties known as third parties. Supporters of this party are known as Democrats.

Every four years the party holds a National Convention where they agree on their candidate for President. The Democratic National Committee coordinates most of the activities of the Democratic Party in all 50 United States. Since Thomas Jefferson’s inauguration in 1801, there have been 21 Democratic presidents, the most recent (and current) being former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-DE) who took office as President of the United States in 2021.

The Democratic Party represents a broad spectrum of liberal and left-wing ideologies, including—but not limited to—classical liberalism, social democracy, progressivism, and social (modern) liberalism.

Philosophy and role in government[change | change source]

Democrats, also sometimes called 'the left', 'liberals' or 'progressives' make up one of the two main political parties in the United States. A mostly Democratic state is sometimes called a 'blue state'. This comes from the party’s main color, which is blue, referring to a state supporting ‘blue’ candidates.

Democrats believe in a strong government with social assistance programs to help members of society. They prefer diplomatic solutions to conflicts, and take generally multilateralist views on trade, believing that trade must be free, but fair to protect American workers, consumers, local communities, and the environment. Some Democrats are economic centrists.[1][2]

Socially, most Democrats believe in sociocultural liberalism, taking pro-immigration, pro-gay marriage, and pro-choice views.[3][4][5][6]

Current Democratic beliefs[change | change source]

Currently, the Democratic Party is identified by progressivism, liberalism, and left-wing policies.

Not all Democrats believe in the same thing, but generally these are the things many Democrats support:

  • Progressive income tax.
  • Higher corporate taxes and recapturing income from overseas profits.
  • Spending on business, education, infrastructure, clean-energy.
  • Expanding spending on government programs.
  • Ending the death penalty.
  • Expanding rights to Abortion.
  • Restrictions of weapons use and potentially dangerous users through government oversight.
  • Support Same-sex marriage, which allows two men and/or two women in love to marry each other.
  • Universal healthcare.
  • Helping students go to college or university for free without having to pay back the government.
  • Allow immigrants who are not legally-present in the U.S. be given Green Cards, and oppose mass deportation.

Most support for Democrats comes from states in the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and the Pacific Coast, as well as from the state of Hawaii.

Symbols[change | change source]

The symbol of the Democratic Party is the Donkey.[7] Since the election of 2000, the color blue has become a symbol for Democrats.[8]

President Thomas Jefferson

Historically, Thomas Jefferson, whom the party claims as its founder, has been often seen as symbols of the Democratic Party, particularly emphasized in the annual celebrations of Jefferson Day Dinners held since the days of Andrew Jackson. As such, the Democratic Party is also often referred to as the “Party of Jefferson.”[9]

Democratic U.S. Presidents[change | change source]

President James Madison
Presidents during the 19th century
  • Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
  • James Madison (1809-1817)
  • James Monroe (1817-1825)
  • John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) (Adams was elected as a Democratic candidate for President in the 1824 presidential election, but he and his allies separated to form the National Republican Party, which later became the Whig Party, in the run-up to the 1828 presidential election.)
President Andrew Jackson
President Franklin Roosevelt
Presidents during the 20th century
President Barack Obama
Presidents during the 21st century
President Joe Biden

Other famous Democratic Politicians[change | change source]

Former senator Daniel Inouye
Senator Bernie Sanders
Vice President Kamala Harris

Independents who caucus with Democrats[change | change source]

Former Democrats[change | change source]

Republican Ronald Reagan was once a Democrat

Related pages[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ Gould, Joe (2021-05-13). "Bernie Sanders wants to cut defense spending. Not all Democrats agree". Defense News. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  2. ↑ "Biden's sweeping — and fluid — tax plans are making some congressional Democrats nervous". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  3. ↑ Paul Starr. "Center-Left Liberalism". Princeton University. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  4. ↑ Frumin, Aliyah (November 25, 2013). "Obama: 'Long past time' for immigration reform". MSNBC.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Changing Views on Social Issues" (PDF). April 30, 2009. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Pew Research Center. (May 10, 2005). Beyond Red vs. Blue, p. 1 of 8". May 10, 2005. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
  7. ↑ see "History of the Democratic Donkey"
  8. ↑ Farhi, Paul (November 2, 2004). "Elephants Are Red, Donkeys Are Blue". Washington Post. p. C01. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  9. ↑ Trotter, Bill (February 11, 2008). "Obama sets sights on November battle". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
  10. ↑ Tom Murse (July 20, 2019). "Was Donald Trump a Democrat?". ThoughtCo. Retrieved September 13, 2019.

Other websites[change | change source]

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