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Party Over Country? That’s SO 19th Century!
I have an article in the New York Times Disunion series today on the transformation of American political parties and the nature of partisanship during the Civil War era.
In short, extreme partisanship is nothing new, and is a key part of American political identity. But taken to excess, it can have disastrous consequences. Is there a lesson in there for today? Maybe. Anti-partisanship is also an old tradition in America, with roots in the writings of George Washington. Is partisanship out of control today? Or are things always this polarized?
This piece explores what happened to the last elements of the Jacksonian “Second Party System” (the First Party System died with the War of 1812) during the Civil War – especially in the American heartland states of Kentucky and Missouri.
3 Responses to “Party Over Country? That’s SO 19th Century!”
I don’t read New York papers. Maybe I should considering the Occupy Wall Street movement. Though it is growing nation wide.
However, all that extreme means is change and change we need. We change this way in lieu of civil war…..if we can.
I’ve been thinking that we’ve gone back to pre-Civil War days in our discourse, except instead of the geographical separation of north-south we now have a cultural one of left-right.
Either way, it’s party & ideology above country.
How well our current political system compares to the dysfunction that preceded the civil war is disturbing indeed. We need to break out of the two party system.