RESEARCH PROJECT

Research Project

Research project

Q1) There was no provision for political in the American Constitution. President Washington was opposed to the factionalism that parties represented. Political parties, however, are a key element in the American political system. They began to foremen before Washington left office. The Federalists won the first contested election (1796). They were soon defeated by the Democratic-Republicans, the forerunner of the Democratic Party--the oldest political party in the world.

The initial political contest was between Hamilton's Federalists representing the northern elite and Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans representing agrarian and backwoods interests. The Federalists soon lost out in their attempt to restrict the suffrage. In the first half of the 19th century, political contests were between the Whigs and the Democrats who won most of the elections. At the time farming and Western interests wanted nothing more than being left along by Government.

Beginning with Jefferson in 1800, this is just what the Democrats provided. The Republican Party was founded in 1856 out of the collapsing Whig Party and the growing northern sentiment for the abolition of slavery. The election of the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln, in 1860 meant Civil War. Since the Civil war, the Democrats and Republicans have remained the major American political parties, although there has been a startling reversal in the principles of the two parties.

Q2) To King Henry VII of England, a second son, Prince Henry,was born at the Greenwich Palace, London, on June 28, 1491. After Arthur, his older brother, died, Henry was left heir to the throne. He went on to become the most formidable and famous king who ever reigned in England.

Henry married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, in June, 1509. Anne Boleyn became his second wife in secret in January, 1533. Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife, provided him the much desired heir to the throne in October, 1537. Henry married Anne of Cleves, his fourth wife, under political terms with Western Germany in 1540. Henry's fifth wife, Catherine Howard, was Anne of Cleves's maid of honor. She married Henry in 1540 also. Finally, Catherine Parr helped to bring his family together when they married in July, 1543. Catherine Parr outlived King Henry VIII when his glorious reign ended with his death on January 28, 1547.

Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was the widow of King Henry VIII's older brother, Arthur. Catherine was unable to provide a male heir for King Henry VIII, which eventually led to the end of their marriage. Pope Clement VII refused to annul Henry's marriage to Catherine. Henry finally broke with the Roman Catholic church, and his new Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cromwell, had their marriage annulled.

Anne Boleyn was the second wife of King Henry VIII. They were privately married in January 1533, but the marriage did not become known until Easter of that year. Anne Boleyn was the mother of the future Queen Elizabeth I, born in September of 1533. During their marriage Henry quickly lost interest in Anne and began to have ...