Rise of Political Parties

It has been an exciting election year, but wait until you see this month's issue! Even though nearly all of the Founding Fathers were suspicious of political parties and considered them dangerous, it didn't take long for them to become a permanent part of the election process. In the September issue, we take a look at the rise of political parties, which basically rose through the differences of opinion between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. We see how party loyalties almost destroyed a valued friendship between two great Americans. We trace the roots of our two major parties today, and we describe the rise and fall -- and role -- of third parties in our political process. The experts chime in on the pros and cons of political parties. There's a crossword puzzle and a fun cartoon contest -- we provide the art, you provide the caption. Plus Dr. D's got a great mystery hero, and Ebenezer and the Colonel have big plans in the forest.



Correction: Page 24, 54-40 for Fight slogan

This famous slogan has long been associated with the 1844 election of Democrat James K. Polk, but it actually did not appear until two years later, in 1846. Polk won election by promising to negotiate with Great Britain to set the United States’ northwest boundary at latitude 54 degrees 40 minutes. At the time, Britain claimed the land in dispute.

Once elected, however, Polk appeared willing to compromise with Britain for a northern boundary of 49 degrees latitude, much farther south than he had promised. Some Americans continued to push for the original northern boundary of latitude 54 degrees 40 minutes. The above slogan comes from the heated political debate that raged in 1846. The remaining land is now part of Canada.

Paperback  48 pgs.  Full Color
Suggested for ages: 9-14
Product Code: COB0809