How identity divides America: the Democratic transformation

In over 180 years of existence, the Democratic Party of the United States has completed a remarkable ideological and geographic transformation.

Originally a staunch defender of Southern slavery, the party now wins the support of most non-white voters. Once an advocate of rural interests against coastal elites, the party now draws much of its strength from cities and coastal areas.

Oddly enough, the party had its roots in the so-called Republican Party of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison (1800-24), which was formed to oppose the Federalist Party run by Alexander Hamilton.

It underwent a number of changes in direction that teetered between identity politics and economics.

In 1830, the party formed under the populist wing led by President Andrew Jackson, who introduced the Indian Removal Act to force Indians from their homes. This was later followed by support for the idea of “manifest destiny” that asserted (white) Americans were divinely entitled to the North American continent, and for the defence of slavery.

From the late 1800s to the end of World War Two, the party defended farmers against big-city capitalists and supported the active use of government to try to improve people’s lives. This culminated in the sweeping New Deal under President Franklin Roosevelt.