The development of democratic parties. Political parties have not always existed in America. Indeed, our founding fathers created this nation with the intention of having no political parties. However, in the late 1700s, the first political parties emerged, largely through the efforts of Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson opposed a strong centralized government and believed in the common man. The first political party, the Democratic-Republican Party, was founded on the basis of these ideals. In 1800, Thomas Jefferson became the first Democratic-Republican president. The Democratic-Republican Party rapidly grew in popularity. He held the White House until 1829, when Andrew Jackson became president. Jackson's election marked a new direction in American politics. He was the first president elected in a Western country, indeed, the first president of a state other than Virginia or Massachusetts. He boldly proclaimed himself the "CHAMPION OF THE COMMON MAN" and believed their interests were being ignored by the aggressive national economic plans of Clay and Adams. Democratic party focused on three main qualities closely related to Jacksonian democracy. First, it declared itself the party of common peasants and workers. Second, he opposed the special privileges of economic elites. Third, to offer affordable western lands to ordinary white Americans, the Indians had to be pushed farther west. By the time Andrew Jackson became president, the party had evolved into what is now the Democratic Party. And so, Andrew Jackson became the first president of the Democratic Party, often considered one of the founders of the party. In 1832, the party held its first national convention at which it nominated President...... of the center of the paper... of the "crats and the south" (www.infoplease.com). However, in the 1994 midterm elections, Republicans gained control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate for the first time in 50 years. In 2000, Republican George W. Bush became president. In 2001, Democrats briefly gained control of Congress. However, Bush's popularity increased after the September 11 attacks and allowed the Republicans to regain the House of Representatives. The growing tension of the Iraq War that began in 2003 allowed Democrats to gain control of both houses of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barrack Obama became president. During his campaign, Obama promised change to Americans. The Democratic and Republican parties have come a long way since their founding. Today they are the two dominant parties in our political system.