Democratic Party

The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the younger Republican Party. Tracing its origins back to the Democratic-Republican Party, the modern Democratic Party was founded around 1828. There have been 15 Democratic presidents, the first being Andrew Jackson, who served from 1829 to 1837; the most recent is the current president, Barack Obama, who has served since 2009. Since the 1930s, the party has promoted a social-liberal platform, supporting a mixed economy and social justice. The party's philosophy of contemporary American liberalism advocates civil and political rights and liberties along with social justice. It pursues a mixed economy by providing government intervention and regulation in the economy. These interventions, such as universal health care, labor protection, social programs, equal opportunity, consumer protection, and environmental protection, form the party's economic policy basis. Until the late 20th century the party had a powerful conservative and populist wing based in the rural South, which over time has greatly diminished.