The Opening of the West, Essay Example

In the period of American history after the Civil War and Reconstruction, interest in politics began to grow. The war had divided the nation and been the most important subject for decades. Once the country began to move on, other issues became important to the American public. There were a number of significant issues in this period, such as women’s rights, worker’s rights, religious freedoms, the treatment of African Americans, and other social and political issues. In the late 1800s the American people began to take a greater interest in politics and to become more active in elections. This interest in political activity made it possible for political parties to become stronger and to play a greater role in American politics.

The Republican and Democrat parties in the late 19^th century were among the largest parties, but there were factions and groups within each party as well as other smaller parties. These parties formed political machines in American cities and town s that played major roles for the lives of many Americans. These political machines produced buttons and posters that were given out to supporters, and they were directly responsible for organizing elections and getting people out to vote. The political machines were very active, and did everything they could to encourage people to join their parties and to vote for their candidates. The party machines gave jobs to people who supported their candidates, and also provided direct help, such as food and clothing, to poor people in exchange for political support.

Along with the political parties were other organizations that tried to influence politics and government. The women’s temperance movement, which opposed the use of alcohol, was influential in the 19^th century. Other groups promoted the interests of the poor, of farmers, and of other people at the bottom of the social ladder. The influence of these various groups and political machines were not always good, especially when government jobs and other public jobs were handed out as political favors.