A History of Political Parties
A Sam Adams Alliance Quarterly Magazine Exclusive by Eric O'Keefe
It's clear we cannot depend on the political parties to rescue our freedom and restore a government accountable to the people. But how did we get to this point, and what must be done to fix it?
History provides the answers.
With that in mind, let's think back to the Founding, when men of vision stared down long odds to preserve liberty by declaring a new foundation for government, and launching our Republic.
Who were those men? The signers of the Declaration of Independence were sent by state legislatures as representatives to the Continental Congress. They were not just political leaders; they were leading citizens--32 college graduates, 25 attorneys, 14 prominent merchants, 10 plantation owners, four physicians, and three clergymen. The same selection process sent a similarly talented group of leaders to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
These leading citizens took difficult trips by horse and cart along bad roads, leaving fine homes for quarters in a distant city. Why would they accept such inconvenient roles? This was a responsibility they could not delegate; there was no one exceeding them in experience, or possessing such keen judgment of the character of men, and the virtues and limits of human nature.
The Founders outlined the relationship of man to government in the Declaration: governments are created to secure the unalienable rights endowed to us by our Creator, deriving their "just powers from the consent of the governed."
They created the Constitution to secure these rights, with the structure of a republic. They then created these selection processes for the elected branches: an electoral college was to select the president; the state legislatures were to elect the Senators, and the people were to elect members of the House in "free and open elections," where Members were expected to serve a short time before returning to live under the laws they had passed.
And long after the Founders passed--for 130 years after the Declaration--American governments at all levels were still constrained in a way that would have pleased the Founders. What maintained limits on these governments?
The answer is the informal, voluntary political process that evolved.
Voting was initially done orally, with each voter telling a local official how he wished to vote. Political parties weren't envisioned in the Constitution or state or federal law, but developed quickly with Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton working vigorously to build competing parties.
Once established, political parties held private caucuses where party leaders selected candidates, and printed "tickets" with the party slate listed. These were turned in at official polling places for tabulation. The government's only election role was to count votes and report results.
It was extremely difficult to win election without the nomination of one of the two major parties because they brought the organization necessary to deliver tickets and votes. Voters usually identified with the parties, not the candidates.
The parties--as entirely private, voluntary organizations--developed policies, platforms, and candidates who would project the party's views and enhance its brand with voters. Voters then simply decided which party they identified with and trusted to deliver the best nominees.
This is how America went 130 years without government expansion--the private process created by leading citizens to make sure voters were offered reasonable choices. And if those choices betrayed the party, party leaders rotated them out of office, terminating their careers before damage could become malignant.
The question, then, is what happened to this remarkably successful process for preserving republican virtue and American liberty? The answer: ambitious politicians used government power to destroy it.
They began by taking ballot printing out of the parties' hands, requiring the state to determine who would be on such ballots. Then, by 1912, the direct primary system was implemented by 43 states, stripping authority from leading private citizens who sought to hold elected officials accountable.
This was the beginning of the end. Government takeover of key political party roles broke the traditional constraints on government power, allowing it to expand unchecked for decades-and now, we face a government more unrestrained than the Founders could have imagined.
History, however, holds the clues for re-limiting it. We must move outside the current political party system, re-privatizing the vital services provided by the political parties of the 19th century-recruiting, training, and holding accountable suitable candidates for public office.
This requires leadership from consequential citizens, those with the best judgment about their fellow men--those most similar to the men of vision who founded our country in the first place.
Eric O'Keefe is Chairman and CEO of the Sam Adams Alliance & Foundation. This article appeared originally in the Summer 2007 issue of The Sam Adams Alliance Quarterly Magazine. You may subscribe to this printed product that is mailed out every calendar quarter by visiting your MySAM Subscriptions page. Not yet a MySAM member? Join today--it's free.
Eric O'Keefe delivered this speech at the National Taxpayers Union conference in June, 2007.
