Marrilee West, age 7, of Wichita, Kan., for her question:
WHY DO WE HAVE REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS?
Most modern democracies are representative democracies, meaning that the people elect representatives'to act as their agents in making and enforcing laws. Political parties are absolutely necessary to democratic government. These political organizations are needed for nominating candidates for public office and for selecting issues for public debate.
A political party is an organized group of people who control or seek to control a government. In the United States and Canada, and also in other democratic countries, the political parties compete against one another to gain and keep power.
The two party system is found in most English speaking democracies. In the United States you have a choice of the Republican and Democratic parties and in Canada you'll find the Progressive Conservative and Liberal parties. In Great Britain the choice is between the Labour party and the Conservative party.
Although democracies can have other parties, those with a two party system have only two major groups, one of which usually controlls the government.
In the United States, the two major parties are the Republicans and the Democrats.
The Democratic Party is the oldest existing group, tracing its origins back to the 1790s. The policies of the group have changed with the flow of history. Before 1913, the Democrats generally approved a strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and favored a limitation on government powers. Since that time, the party has extended the government's powers.
The Republicans Party, which started in the mid 1800s, started as an organization strongly opposed to slavery.
During this important Presidential year, the Democrats and the Republicans will outline the plans and programs they would like to see in operation for the next four years. It will then be up to the voters to make their selections.
Members of the two major parties, as well as those registered in minor parties, will be able to vote for the Democrats, Republicans or independents of their choice at the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 1980.
Since the Presidential election of 1860, at which time Abraham Lincoln was elected to office, the Republican Party has won 14 of the 18 elections up to 1932.
From 1932 through 1976, the Democratic Party won eight of the 12 elections held.