11 Interesting Facts About the Democratic Party Few Americans Know

Did you know about these facts about the Democratic Party? 

I bet you’ve had a moment in your life when you asked yourself, “What are political parties based on?” Why are they doing this, and most importantly, what are their beliefs? In today’s article, we will talk more in detail about the very well-known American party, which is the Democratic Party. Besides being the oldest in the county’s history, there are still plenty of citizens who don’t know many details about it.

Gun control, worker rights, civil rights for every minority in the country, and many other decent rights are among this political party’s “to-do” things. Whether you concur with them or not, we’ll see at the end of the article, where you’re kindly invited to leave us a comment with your opinions. But first, let’s start with one of the most essential facts about the Democratic Party.

1. Initially opposed the abolition of slavery

Did you know that in the 1850s, the Democratic Party opposed the eradication of slavery because both Southern and Northern Democrats were completely pro-slavery? Expanding slavery into the West was the problem. The Northern Democrats held that the fate of slavery should be decided by each area separately, while Democrats in the South favored allowing slavery everywhere.

Under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson in the 1960s and 1970s, Democrats started to relate to the rights and goals of the minorities in the country.

Despite divided opinions a lot of people think the Democratic Party did the right thing in the 70s, what do you think about this fact? Do you agree or not? Tell us in the comments.

2. Some Southern Democrats were members of the KKK

Yes, that’s true. But contrary to popular belief, the Democratic Party didn’t start the KKK movement! However, there were a lot of Democrats who were active members of the KKK, and because of that, a lot of rumors started circulating in this matter.

I guess the fact that they were pro-slavery in the beginning put a mark on their party that is still hard to remove.

3. This is the oldest party in the entire country

Believe it or not, the oldest yet surviving political party in the U.S.A. is the Democratic Party. Founded in 1792 and led by Alexander Hamilton, it was initially called the Democratic-Republican Party. Later on, in 1824, because of different opinions towards various causes, the party separated into two big parties: the Democratic and the Republican parties.

After the separation, each party voted for two different presidents. Andrew Jackson was chosen by the people more frequently than either of his predecessors and as President, he aimed to serve as the voice of the ordinary man.

4. The real significance of the donkey is…

related to the nickname people gave to Andrew Jackson, which was “jackass.” Pretty rude, right? But the deeper meaning of this was the fact that he was widely known as being stubborn—exactly like a donkey. Although it was more of a way to offend somebody, Jack didn’t take it personally, which is why he agreed to use the symbol for his campaign. Nice sense of humor indeed!

This was the main symbol used for his campaign, but it gained popularity later on when the cartoonist Thomas Nast used it for Harper’s Weekly magazine. His caricatures of the donkey will eventually take on the status of permanent icons.

Democrats now claim that the emblem is a representation of their commitment to hard labor.

5. You may not be aware that there are more Democrats than Republicans

According to a 2019 survey, there are more Democrats than Republicans in the United States. Only 30% of respondents said they were Republicans, compared to 31% who said they were Democrats. Let’s take a look at the opposite side of the survey, which showed that a bigger percentage (38%) is defined as having no allegiance with either party before we start boasting about this.

What do you think about these facts? Do you think they are true? We’re curious to find out which side you’re on. Tell us in the comments section!

6. Democrats were influential in the First National Convention

In 1832, the Democratic Party, led by Andrew Jackson, organized its first national convention. At this convention, the president was supposed to establish some rules to follow, rules that were supposed to have clear goals and values suitable for the party.

7. The Democratic Party supported economic measures to overcome the Great Depression

Political decisions, such as those related to post-World War I war reparations, protectionism, such as the installation of legislative tariffs on European commodities, or speculative actions that led to the 1929 stock market crash, may have been the cause of the Great Depression, a global economic disaster.

Because the Great Depression’s start weakened business trust in Republican claims of prosperity, after Franklin D. Roosevelt won four elections in a row, he gave the Democrats a virtual monopoly. This proved successful in combating the Great Depression.

8. Democrats are more liberal than Republicans

With every passing year, more and more Democrats are starting to be concerned about the country’s economy, which is why they want social and economic equality.

Democrats who hold liberal views make up 46% of the party. Only 39% of people identify as moderate and 14% as conservative.

9. Diversity? Democrats are for this idea

The American voting process has changed over the years, among other things. In this instance, Democratic voters are becoming more and more diverse. Politics is centered on racial and ethnic diversity, and Democrats appear to be setting the bar very high. In the end, it’s about inclusivity and defending everyone’s rights, regardless of skin tone.

Voters who identified as Democrats who are white experienced a major decline in 2017, while the percentage of Hispanic, Asian-American and African-American voters ascended from 20% to 40%.

10. Medicare is their top priority

At this moment, the Democratic Party wants to solve the issues that our country has with health care since we all know how expensive everything can be. Even the smallest surgical intervention can cost thousands of dollars if you don’t have health insurance.

That’s why, in past interviews with the party representatives, they declared that their priority is to solve these issues and ensure that Medicare will remain an available option for everybody.

Will they solve this or not? I guess we will wait and see…

11. Democrats are not as divided as Republicans

Compared to Republicans, Democrats are not as divided, and they don’t tend to argue on topics that might affect the environment of the party. They have fewer topics about immigrants and the racial equality of marriage between people of the same gender. It’s been proven that most Democrats have the same opinions when it comes to something important for the entire nation. That means some down-right unity over there!

Curious about other political facts? You must check out our website because we have an entire section dedicated to this topic. And we guarantee you’ll end up loving it, and who knows, maybe you will eventually subscribe to our page. It’s up to you!

But meanwhile, you may also be interested in reading this one: Presidents’ Secrets: 8 Politicians Who Lived Wild Lives Before the White House.