When did I become a democrat?

As I sit watching MSNBC to see the latest mishaps of the campaigns; I thought, what a disaster! John McCain is going to win the election, because the democratic party is going to be divided deeply. I wonder who history will blame.

I began to wonder, why am I a democrat? Is it because my parents are? What is the democratic philosophy and history? For that matter what are republicans about? I do know that I am becoming more and more turned off with American politics. I decided to do a study on the political parties. I’m thinking about becoming a independent (I know what that is without studying it)

Here's the short leasson. The Republican Party was formed in 1854 to oppose the expansion of slavery into Kansas. Activists denounced “Slave Power” that the powerful class of southern slaveholders who were conspiring to control the federal government and have nationwide slavery. In 1860, Lincoln was elected and a new ear of republican dominance came to the forefront. Reconstruction was how to deal with ex-Confederates and freed slaves and became major issues. By 1864 there were Radical Republicans and the Grand Old Party. During the Progressive Age 1896-1932, Blacks moved toward Roosevelt and by 1940 the majority of northern blacks were democrat and Southern Blacks were split, and the disenfranchised preferred the Republicans. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had a NEW DEAL. The goal was to “give relief, reform and recovery to people and the economy of the United States during the Great Depression.” The “First New Deal of 1933” was to help all groups; the “Second New Deal” was to redistribute power away from big business. FDR, the governor of New York addressed the problems of the depression. He told the people of America that, “I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal with the American people and he won by a landslide.

Democratic Party is an account of the oldest political party in the United States. Democrats strongly favored expansion to new farm lands, therefore they went after the American Indians and all that were not killed were put on reservations. The party favored War with Mexico and opposed immigration and was divided on the issue of slavery. In 1860 the Democrats were unable to stop the election of Republican Abraham Lincoln, even as they feared his election would lead to the Civil War. The party split in two, the War Democrats, who supported the military policies of President Lincoln, and the Copperheads, who strongly opposed them.

The democratic party benefited from white Southerners' resentment of Reconstruction.
African Americans fought in every war America has had.
Harry Truman integrated the armed forces and provided equal treatment and opportunity for Black servicemen; it split the northern and southern branches of the party.
African Americans, who had traditionally given strong support to the Republican Party since its inception as the "anti-slavery party," shifted to the Democratic Party due to its New Deal economic opportunities and support for civil rights of Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

The election of John F. Kennedy in 1960 re-energized the party. His youth, vigor and intelligence caught the popular imagination with new programs like the Peace Corps.
Integration and the civil rights movement caused controversy in the white south. Arkansas, Georgia and Alabama to name a few states resisted integration, you know what followed walk-ins, sit-ins, marching, bombing, killing, non-resistant, fire hoses and dogs, and riots.

So, let me recap:
Blacks were largely republican because the party opposed the expansion of slavery. At the time of the great depression, FDR (democrat) had a New Deal to help all of Americans in a time of need. Northern blacks supported FDR while southern blacks remained republican. Black voters began to just support democratic candidates. We became loyal to a party that was not interested in the concerns of Black people. We gave our loyalty to FDR which translated into becoming democrat for life.

Life is to short. I sit and watch, I know I must do something different.

Which leads me to another question: Why do we stay loyal even when we know we should move on?