The Democratic Party traces its origin to the Democratic-Republican Party founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1793. The Democratic Party itself was formed from a faction of the Democratic-Republicans, led by Andrew Jackson. Following his defeat in the election of 1824 despite having a majority of the popular vote, Andrew Jackson set about building a political coalition strong enough to defeat John Quincy Adams in the election of 1828. The coalition that he built was the foundation of the subsequent Democratic party.

In the 1850s, following the disintegration of the Whig Party, the southern wing of the Democratic Party became increasingly associated with the continuation and expansion of slavery, in opposition of the newly formed Republican Party. Democrats in the northern states opposed this new trend, and at the 1860 nominating convention the party split and nominated two candidates (see U.S. presidential election, 1860). As a result, the Democrats went down in defeat – part of the chain of events leading up to the Civil War. After the war, the Democrats were a shattered party, but eventually gathered enough support to elect reform candidate Grover Cleveland to two terms in the presidency.

In 1896 the Democrats chose William Jennings Bryan over Cleveland as their candidate, who then lost to William McKinley. The Democrats did not regain the presidency until Woodrow Wilson guided it to a Progressive platform in 1912. The Republicans again took the lead in 1920 by championing laissez-faire regulatory policies. The stock market crash in 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression set the stage for a more interventionist government and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) won a landslide election in 1932, campaigning on a platform of “relief, recovery, and reform”.

FDR’s New Deal programs focused on job-creation through public works projects as well as on social welfare programs such as Social Security. The political coalition of labor unions, minorities, liberals, and southern whites (the New Deal Coalition) allowed the Democrats to control the government for much of the next 30 years, until the issue of civil rights divided conservative southern whites from the rest of the party (see Dixiecrat).

The political pendulum swung away from the Democrats with the election of Republican president Ronald Reagan in 1980. By 1980 the country was ready for a change in political vision after a decade of poor economic performance and several embarrassments abroad including the Vietnam War and the Iranian hostage crisis at the end of the Carter presidency. Riding on Reagan’s coattails, the Republican Party successfully positioned itself as the party of national strength, gaining 34 seats in the House and gaining control of the Senate for the first time since 1955.

The Democratic Leadership Council organized by elected Democratic leaders has in recent years worked to position the Party towards a centrist position. It still retains a powerful base of left-of-center supporters however, as like the Republicans, the Democrats are generally a catch all party with widespread appeal to most opponents of the Republicans. This includes organized labour, educators, environmentalists, gays, pro-choicers, and other opponents of the social conservatism praticed by many Republicans.

In the 1990s the Democratic Party re-invigorated itself by providing a successful roadmap to economic growth. Led by Bill Clinton, the Democrats championed a balanced federal budget and job growth through a strong economy. Labor unions, which had been steadily losing membership since the 1960s, found they had also lost political clout inside the Democratic Party: Clinton enacted the NAFTA free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico over the strong objection of the unions.

In the 2000 Presidential election the party’s left wing splintered somewhat under the candidacy of Al Gore. Some former Democratic voters felt the party was getting too centerist, and moving away from its traditional liberal ways. The openly left-wing Green Party candidate Ralph Nader in turn managed to take many votes away from Al Gore in many traditionally liberal states; an event which is often cited as one of the leading causes of Al Gore’s defeat.

Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack the Democrats have been faced with a new political puzzle as the nation’s focus has now changed to issues of national security and homeland defense, with the Democrats positioning themselves against the Iraq war and advocating a less agressive policy.

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There have been many instances throughout United States history where citizens and taxpayers have stood up to revolt against taxes they felt were being unfairly imposed. Recently, we saw the libertarian and conservative inspired “Tea Party” rallies on tax day, but this was neither the first nor the last time we will hear about tax protests. As long as governments are levying taxes, there are always going to be people who do not want to pay them.

The Stamp Act of 1765After the British victory in the Seven Years War, the British government felt the American colonies should pay off some of the war’s debt with a new tax. They chose to tax a wide selection of printed materials, such as stamps, to repay the debt. Since the English bill of rights – the Magna Carta – granted citizens the right to only be taxed with proper consent, the colonists felt the new tax was unfair and revolted. By 1766, the tax was repealed, but not before the British Parliament was given the power to legislate over the colonists in the future, which would lead to the American Revolution.

The Boston Tea PartyOne of the most famous protests in history, the Boston Tea Party, has become a symbol of American independence. The historic event took place when hundreds of Boston residents dressed as Native Americans and threw hundreds of pounds of East India Trading Company tea bags in to the sea. There were several different reasons they did this, but the most common of which was the lack of colonial representation in the British government.

The Whiskey RebellionIn 1791, during Washington’s presidency, taxes were raised in the U.S. on whiskey to pay off a national debt. The Secretary of Treasury at the time (Alexander Hamilton) said it was both a way to raise revenue and to enforce social policy. However, it upset the American public enough to start a tax rebellion that led to a series of violent protests.

Proposition 13The people of California approved Proposition 13 in 1978, which resulted in a cap on property tax rates in the state, reducing them by an average of 57%. In addition to lowering property taxes, the initiative also contained language requiring a two-thirds majority in both legislative houses for future increases in all state tax rates or amounts of revenue collected, including income tax rates. It also requires two-thirds vote majority in local elections for local governments wishing to raise special taxes. The act of passing the legislation is claimed to be one of the most successful acts of tax protest in American history, and pre-saged the election of Ronald Reagan to the U.S. presidency in 1980.

The Tea Party Protests of 2009The recent “Tea Party” protests have been called the biggest protest in the country’s history. However, there has yet to be any official confirmation on the exact number of participants. Estimates say that roughly 650,000 decided to protest federal taxation on April 15, 2009. The people involved stated many reasons for their protests, including but not limited to out-of-control federal government spending and federal bailouts.

Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was named after the Greek word “kyklos” from which the English word “circle” is derived. General Nathan Forrest, Richard R. Reed and Captain John B. Kennedy, who founded Ku Klux Klan, had focused on coming up with an unusual and mysterious name and being well-educated they turned to the Greek language. After thorough brainstorming, Richard R. Reed suggested the word “kyklos,” and then Captain John B. Kennedy added the word “clam.” Soon, the group settled on the “Ku Klux Klan.”  In fact, the weird name of the organization had a great appeal on many white Radicals, who joined the Ku Klux Klan out of curiosity and an air of mystery. However, soon the initials KKK took on a terrifying significance.

The chief intention of white supremacy clubs such as the Ku Klux Klan, the White Brotherhood, the Men of Justice and many others was to deny voting to black people. Ku Klux Klan soon transformed into the vehicle for White underground resistance to the Radical Reconstruction of the South. Klansmen required the restoration of white supremacy over the newly admitted the privileges of a citizen black freedmen.

Also called the Invisible Empire of the South, because of is underground activities, the Ku Klux Klan embraced a large percentage of the white population of every profession and class. Each KKK member should equip himself with a pistol, a Ku Klux gown and a signal instrument. Typically wrapped in white sheets, wearing masks and white cardboard hats, leaving visible only their eyes through small holes, Klansmen used intimidation and violence against black Americans and supporting Whites. The KKK operations were executed only at night and they were invariably directed against members of the Radical Republican Party. Breaking into their houses at night, the Klansmen were dragging Black people out and they were torturing them in the most inhuman manner, while in many cases murdering was also reported. Over time, Ku Klux Klan turned also against immigrants, whom they blamed for the election of Radical Republicans and the pass of the Reconstruction Act.

From 1868 and 1870 the KKK played a significant role in re-establishing white power in North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. However, Benjamin Butler, member of the Radical Republicans in Congress urged President Grant to take action against the Ku Klux Klan. Indeed, the Ku Klux Act was passed by the Congress and became law on April 1871. With this law, President Grant acquired the power to intervene in the States of the South with the authority to suspend any disturbance. In due time, Ku Klux Klan practically disappeared, but its members were claiming that their white supremacy objective had, whatsoever, been achieved.