Lisa Talbert, age 14, of Winston Salem, N.C., for her question:
SHOULD I REGISTER AS A REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT?
The donkey was used as a political symbol by Andrew Jackson after his opponents called him a jackass during the 1828 presidential campaign. Cartoonists established it as a symbol of the Democratic Party in the mid 1800s. The elephant became the symbol for the Republican Party after cartoonist Thomas Nast first used it in 1874.
Two principal political parties are found in the United States: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
Which one should you join when you are old enough to vote? Only you can make that decision. To help you make up your mind, study both parties as they function in your own city and state. Get to know what the elected officials stand for, and also study the principles for which political opponents stand. After you've studied the beliefs and philosophies of both major parties, you'll be able to decide how you should register.
The Democratic Party is the nation's oldest existing party. From 1828 through 1976, Democrats have won 18 of the 38 presidential elections. Traditionally, the Democratic Party has drawn support from wage earners, Southerners, immigrants and since the 1930s the black voters.
The Republican Party won 14 of the 18 presidential elections from 1860p when Abraham Lincoln was elected, until 1932. But between 1932 and 1976, they won only four of the 12 races. Traditionally the Republicans.won support from the agricultural West and the industrial East.
Many break the parties down on the conservative¬liberal scale. Traditionally o the Republican party is considered to be the group which backs the conservative elements of government while the Democratic Party is considered to be the organization that backs liberal causes. But this breakdown doesn't hold true. There are many conservative Democrats and many liberal Republicans.
The Democratic Party traces its origin to President Thomas Jefferson's Democrat Republican party in 1801, although most historians agree it started in 1828 with Andrew Jackson's campaign. The Republicans' first Presidential campaign was in 1856 when John C. Fremont was the choice fox chief executive. Abraham Lincoln won the Republican nomination and the election in 1860.
Both Republican and Democratic parties basically have the same long range objective: provide citizens of the United States with the necessary elements so that they can have secure lives, full liberty and the right to pursue happiness.
A debate between members of the two parties often provides an excellent way to judge the things Democrats and Republicans stand for.