Essay on Since 1960 more and more Americans have tended to vote conservative as the Republican Party

Since the War between the States in the middle of the nineteenth century, politics in the United States has revolved around the two dominant parties, the Democrats and the Republicans. Occasionally, third parties make a showing on the national scene in presidential elections. Their success, however, has been limited in terms of votes, and they have often disappeared after only one or two elections. The record of third parties in winning representation in the Congress is even less impressive, especially in the twentieth century. From the turn of the century to the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Republican Party was dominant nationally, although the Democrats monopolized politics in the southern states after their defeat in the Civil War. Beginning with Franklin Roosevelt's victory in 1932, however, the national electorate grew to favor the Democrats over the Republicans, and Roosevelt was reelected in 1936, 1940, and 1944. Upon his death in 1945, he was succeeded by his vice president, Harry Truman. Truman won election in his own right for a four-year term in 1948 and served into the beginning of our time period.

For decades, conservatives controlled the political agenda, even to the point of hijacking the nation for two years to concentrate on a popular president's moral lapses. The cultural agenda, however, was another thing. Though the country seemed to be tilting right politically, popular culture, if anything, seemed to be speeding toward increasing liberalization. Madonna and Britney Spears; Eminem and hip-hop generally; "The Daily Show," "South Park" and "The Man Show"; "American Pie" and dozens of other raunchy or violent movies that dominated the box office; even tattooed athletes — all testified to the power of America's free-spirited, contrarian strain. Conservatives could point only to the success of the now-canceled series "Touched by an Angel" as evidence of a largely untapped right-wing audience (Edwards, 69).......................

ESSAY ON THE AMERICAS