Institution Analysis:

The Democratic Party

By Emily Quach
Alvarado (Soc 001)

What is the Democratic Party?

The Democratic Party is one of the largest
established political parties in the United States next to
the Republican Party. The Democratic Partys
philosophy is liberal and left-leaning. In 2012, the
Democratic Party had over 43.1 million members. Its
dominant color is blue, versus the red from the
Republican Party, and its mascot is a Donkey!

History of the Democratic Party

George Washington did not believe in political parties and chose
not to affiliate with one throughout his presidency. This changed when
Thomas Jefferson and the Jeffersonian Republicans formed the Democratic
Party to oppose the Federalist Party. The Democratic Party was formed in
1792 when Jeffersonian Republicans defined the party through its antiaristocratic ideals. There was conflict within the Democratic Party in
regards to slavery because Northern Democrats did not believe in slavery
while Southern Democrats embraced slavery. After Abraham Lincolns
presidency formed the Republican Party, southern democrats rejected his
plan for Reconstruction. They disagreed with the 13 th amendment that
abolished slavery and even tried to put African Americans as close as
possible into slavery-like conditions. It was known as the white-mans
party because it encompassed pro-slavery groups such as the KKK. It is
ironic that presently the Democratic Partys foundation is formed upon
African American votes, as President Barak Obama was elected President,
and completely embraces new progressive ideas.

How has the Democratic Party changed?

The values of the Democratic Party and Republican Party completely
reversed from the past until today. In the 19th century, the Democratic Party
embraced slavery in order to obtain support from the South after the Civil War
and conservative ideals. Up until the 1950s the Democratic Party opposed
civil right reforms and progressive reform. This changed when President
Franklin D. Roosevelt conjured up his New Deal plan. This plan opened the
doors for the Democratic Party to introduce society to government reform
programs, economic opportunities, and protection of citizens rights. The New
Deal reform programs set the foundation for the beliefs of the Democratic
Party today. Presently, the party recognizes minority rights, abortion rights,
and LGBTQ rights.
The reason why institutions change over time is because they are
adapting to the fast changing world . There are new ideas being expressed in
which groups can intake or refuse to acknowledge. The Democratic Party
changed when it was adapting to the needs of the population. It needed to be
attractive to voters and solve issues that directly affected groups of people.

Members of the Democratic Party

The major participants of the Democratic Party can be anyone who believes
in the ideals of the party. According to Democrats.org, Democrats are
working to make progress on issues like job creation, equal pay, education,
health care, and clean energy.
The roles of the participants are to get involved in civic engagement, support
candidates, and promote the values embraced by the Democratic Party.
Thus, by doing so, they can promote social progress.
Society views the Democratic Party as an institution or group they can
confide and share their beliefs and opinions on common issues within the
United States.
Currently, the members of the institution is balanced in regards to external
forces, but partially divided due to the split between support for Senator
Bernie Sanders or presumptive nominee, Hillary Clinton.

Notable Members of the Democratic Party

Eleanor Roosevelt
First Lady of the
United States (1933)

Barak Obama
44th President of the
United States

John F. Kennedy
35th President of the
United States

Stable Aspects

The Democratic Party has been stable with

former President Bill Clinton and current
President Barack Obama.
The party has become united under the
progressive movement with Bernie Sanders
and the #BlackLivesMatter and
#AllLivesMatter movement.
The party is more stable than its counterpart,
the Republican party
The party has consistently supported issues for
minorities and the middle/lower class

Changes

To attract Republican voters who

are on the verge of switching sides,
I think the Democratic Party
should focus more on taxes and
the economy because that is a
huge reason why Republicans lean
towards their party. If Democrats
lowered taxes, then it would
appeal to the upper class who are
usually satisfied with Republican
ideals.

To improve the Democratic Party for its members, I believe polling

places should have a more accurate count of votes. With the current Presidential
race, there were many disputes over which counties were for Bernie or Hillary.
There were some counties who even reported of switching over to Bernie when
it was originally declared Hillary. I believe the Democratic party should improve
their polling tactics so discrepancies do not come up again.

Stable Aspects vs. What to Change

2016 Presidential Elections

In light of the 2016 Presidential Elections, the Democratic Party can
be analyzed in current events. The party has shown to be stronger
internally, which can be examined later in the Functionalist Theory, because
the members are able to unite under one cause. The goal is to put a
Democratic President into the White House versus the notorious Donald
Trump. The members are able to decide which candidate they want to
nominate and what policies they want to enact. The members are also
allowed to change and affect how these candidates campaign to their
likings. This shows the democratic values are still instilled in our system.

Who does the Democratic Party favor?

The Democratic Party favors minority groups such as the
African American community and the LGBTQ community. It does not
work for people opposed to the ideals set by the parties platform.
That is why other institutions such as the Republican Party and other
smaller parties like the Green Party and Tea Party exist. Those parties
are other groups people tend to gravitate towards if they do not agree
with the values the Democratic Party promotes. For example,
democrats believe in the Pro-Choice rights in regards to abortions,
while Republicans believe in Pro-Life rights.

Conflict Theory
The Conflict Theory and perspective shows the tension between
groups over power or resources. It can be examined through the political,
economic, and social aspects of the group or institution. With the
Democratic Party, there are internal and external conflicts. First, with
external conflicts, there is the Republican Party, which is the other
dominant opposing party. There is always conflicts with who the next
Presidential nominee will be, what the parties endorses, and what the
members of the parties support. These external conflicts show how these
two groups have tension over power. Both parties have strong political
powers and can be exemplified with their long standing in history as the
two main political parties.
Within the Democratic Party, there are internal conflicts that affect
the members. There were many avid supporters of Bernie Sanders, which
could cause the party to be dysfunctional and have protests. In addition,
some members do not fully agree on the partys endorsements or policies.
While many may agree, there will be those in the party who will still be
against certain policies. The Conflict Theory is evident in the Democratic
Party because it shows how it has internal and external conflicts that affect
the institution as a whole and allows it to funciton.

Functionalist Theory
The Functionalist Theory shows how society has
interconnected networks that work together to have balance and
harmony within the system. The Democratic Party has a balanced
system where a majority of the members support the same issues and
policies, which established the Democratic Party as a major political
institution. The Party has equal representation from various states and
dominant Democratic areas. In addition, the Democratic Party
continues to support minorities, LGBTQ rights, education reform, and
numerous grassroots movement ideals that make the party appeal to
numerous ethnic groups, the middle and lower class, and minority
groups. The Democratic Party is more in unison versus the Republican
Party. It is able to function with harmony and balance through voting
and working together.

Reflection/Opinion
Overall, I believe the Democratic Party is a key institution
embraced by millions of people throughout the United States. I wanted to
examine the aspects of the Democratic Party to view the relationship the
party had with the population and why it is such a prominent institution
here in the United States. After analyzing this institution, I realized that
the Democratic Party has power and political influence on the nature of
American citizens. It supports many values and policies of citizens to
allow it to continue to be a prominent party next to its opponent the
Republican Party.
When analyzing the Conflict Theory, the Democratic Party does
have internal and external tension regarding Republican ideals and
internal disagreement between candidates. However, the Functionalist
Theory also shows that the Democratic Party works together more than
the Republican Party to support progressive ideals and attract minority
groups. This allows the Democratic party to continue to be strong through
this Presidential Elections.

Works Cited
"Democrats.org." Democrats.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Aug. 2016. <https://
www.democrats.org/about/our-party>.
"Democrat vs Republican." - Difference and Comparison. N.p., n.d. Web. 01
Aug. 2016.
<http://www.diffen.com/difference/Democrat_vs_Republican>.
Thapaliya, Rajan. "Analysis of Democrats and Republicans." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 01 Aug. 2016. <http://
www.huffingtonpost.com/rajan-thapaliya/analysis-of-democratsand_b_9583166.html>.
"Democratic Party News, Research and Analysis - The Conversation." The
Conversation. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Aug. 2016. <https://
theconversation.com/us/topics/democratic-party>.
"Party and Society: Reconstructing a Sociology of Democratic Party Politics."
Academia.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Aug. 2016. <http://
www.academia.edu/4536388/
Party_and_Society_Reconstructing_a_Sociology_of_
Democratic_Party_Politics>.