US Politics is the political system in the United States, which has been shaped by a confluence of different cultural and geographical influences from European and Native American societies. The US was an English colony, first settling in what is now New York City, Massachusetts in 1630. During the colonial period, the population was heavily populated by Dutch, Irish, German, and Eastern Europeans, making the population nearly evenly divided between three groups: slave, free, or not free. Slavery was common in the southern states, where most plantations were located. For a time, the slave trade was the largest industry in America, but it eventually declined due to competition from the West Coast.
America’s earliest elections to elect leaders to the newly created Continental Congress were held in 1776, when the members voted by secret ballot. voting meant that each person had to be aware of the vote going out, so that they could be counted. In the process of voting, some states changed their representation from slave states to free states because they wanted more representation for themselves. This caused a lot of friction between slave and free states, especially in the House of Representatives, where representatives from both sides held seats. In the Senate, there were a majority of slave states and a majority of free states, creating a split in representation.
When the US finally had a fully functioning government through the Articles of Constitution, elected officials were still widely uneven in terms of wealth and power. The lack of true equality in office made a strong sense of national identity and belonging difficult to achieve. After the emergence of the Constitution in order to guarantee the right of suffrage for all citizens, American politics became much more representative and competitive.
The US has been a very decentralized country, with loosely organized political units. Each political party has put forward its own agenda to govern the country. Competing pressures from the various regional interests within each political party has led to different party coalitions forming around particular issues. These coalitions can only be as successful as the candidates who run for elective office on either side of the aisle. Elected officials often have to break with their party colleagues to reach an agreement on key issues.
The US has been famous for its rebellious tendencies, especially since the advent of the Civil War. Slaves in the southern US rose up in arms during the tumultuous times in order to gain equal rights with their white counterparts. Quarrels broke out between Northern and Southern whites regarding the question of slavery, leading to the first great US civil war. Political intrigue, often involving politicians, played a major role in the US’s development throughout the past century and beyond.
No one can predict with any certainty the direction of US politics in the future. The uncertainty is due to factors such as global events and individual political inclinations. US politics is constantly in a state of flux, as the country-continent changes and demographics impact election results. Elected officials cannot base their votes or even their reelection bids on concrete plans for the future. US politics will forever be shaped by intangibles more than by any set of plans. It is possible that someday US politics could resemble the turbulent brew of Venice during the Renaissance, when intrigue, conspiracy, religious fanaticism and general chaos reigned supreme.