Overview:
There is constant talk about political divisions. Are they just more visible now or have they always been there? It’s interesting to take a look political division in the United States from a historical perspective.
You’ve heard it many times before. This is the saying that the United States is more divided politically than it ever has been. It’s hard to say if this is entirely accurate or not. Regardless, political divisions have been around since before the founding of the U.S. Arguably, they are more visible now than they used to be.
There’s a lot of political arguing that occurs nowadays. This is evident from social media. Sometimes, though, it’s best to take a break from quarreling. One way to do this is to examine American politics from a historical perspective. I conducted an interview with political analyst Rich Rubino.
Modern political talk was briefly touched on. However, it was not discussed in detail. That was not the purpose of the interview. Rubino touched on many of the political divisions in U.S. history. Issues within political parties were discussed across a broad period. From the late 20th century to the Founding Fathers, the U.S. has had its fair share of political infighting.
Modern 2-Party System
Rubino made a distinction between the divisions of the past and those of today. What we have now is that the political parties are ideologically homogenous,” he said. “They used to be ideologically heterogeneous.” That means that individual parties no longer have as much diversity when it comes to beliefs. People in the Democratic Party share mostly liberal views. On the other hand, those in the Republican Party share mostly conservative beliefs.
It’s challenging to pinpoint when political parties became less diverse. However, the signs were showing by 1980.
1980 Democratic Presidential Primary
In 1980, it was the Democratic Party that was divided. Then, President Jimmy Carter was challenged by Teddy Kennedy and Jerry Brown. Carter was a moderate Democrat from the conservative South. Many of the establishment Democrats opposed his outsider status. These individuals were also generally more liberal than Carter.
When Carter became U.S. President, certain Democrats presented him with certain big government projects. However, Carter vetoed them. Establishment democrats persuaded Teddy Kennedy to run for U.S. President in 1980. Also, Jerry Brown entered the race. However, he later withdrew. Carter prevailed over Kennedy. Arguably, though, the damage was done.
Carter
Rubino explains how this primary battle showed divisions. “I think a lot of Carter people blame Teddy Kennedy’s division of the Democratic party and Jerry Brown’s division in particular for their losing that presidential election.” Carter lost to Ronald Reagan in a huge landslide in the 1980 U.S. Presidential Election.
(Side Note: Often overlooked about the 1980 U.S. presidential election, though, is that, besides Georgia, West Virginia, and Maryland, Reagan barely carried most of Carter’s native conservative south (both deep and outer south), which Carter had won mostly in 1976).
1976 Republican Presidential Primary
The 1976 Republican presidential primary took place almost fifty years ago. It had then-President Gerald Ford being challenged by Ronald Reagan. Rubino pointed out how Ford represented the moderate bloodline. Conversely, the conservative bloodline was showcased by Reagan.
Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan had very contrasting views on foreign policy. Ford believed in maintaining détente with the Soviet Union. On the other hand, Reagan believed in a more aggressive stance.
The battle between Ford and Reagan was very competitive. Ford squeaked by with the nomination. Rubino spoke about how this race, and the Republican presidential primary of 1976 were pure evidence of party division. “That was really a focal point in terms of the ideological divide in the Republican party,” he said. Gerald Ford would end up being narrowly defeated in the general election by Jimmy Carter.
Political Divisions of the Early 20th Century to the Founding Fathers of the United States of America
Early 20th Century
In 1904, Theodore Roosevelt ran for a full term in office. Rubino revealed that the Republican Party chose Charles Fairbanks as Roosevelt’s running mate that year. “Fairbanks was a conservative; Roosevelt was a more moderate progressive,” he said. Four years later, Charles Fairbanks ran for U.S. President. Teddy Roosevelt did not endorse him. Instead, he backed William Howard Taft. However, that wouldn’t be the case in 1912.
Teddy Roosevelt became disappointed with Taft’s presidency. Rubino expanded on this. “William Howard Taft, at least in Roosevelt’s view, was too conservative,” he said. This prompted Roosevelt to run for the presidency again. He didn’t win the Republican nomination. However, he decided to run as a third-party candidate. Although Teddy Roosevelt didn’t win the 1912 election, he did well for a 3rd party candidate.
Founding Fathers
Now, we’re back to the origins of the United States. The U.S. Constitution was drafted and signed in Philadelphia in 1787. However, there was political hostility.
A quarrel occurred between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. A lot of it had to do with the Articles of Confederation. Rubino pointed out how the Anti-Federalists favored it. They felt it limited the role of government.
Federalists
The Federalists favored a large-scale national government. Rubino further discussed the Federalists’ aims. “The Federalists wrote The Federalist Papers, and The Federalist Papers basically advocated for ratifying the U.S. Constitution,” he said. “The Anti-Federalist Papers argued against it.” Eventually, an agreement was reached: The Bill of Rights.
A compromise may have been reached. However, there were still divisional times to come. George Washington was the first president of the United States of America. Washington’s fellow founding fathers, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, were in his administration. Rubino revealed that Adams wanted a larger federal government, while Jefferson desired the opposite.
There Have Always Been Divisions
As mentioned, many have made claims about the current state of U.S. politics. They indicate that these are the most politically divisive times in U.S. history. Others claim that social media has made them more visible. Regardless, it’s important to take something into account. You may feel drained from arguing politics. Or, you may not understand why people have opposing views. However, it’s important to remember something. Political divisions have been around since the founding of the United States. My interview with Rich Rubino made that abundantly clear to me.
Rich Rubino
Rubino is a noted political analyst on TV, radio, and podcasts. He is also a political author. Rubino has offered five books on American politics. Some of them have been quoted in the national media. Additionally, Rubino is a public speaker. For more information about Rich Rubino and his many great works, refer to https://richrubino.com/.
Sources:
Will Barber Interview with Rich Rubino September 4, 2025.
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/articles-of-confederation
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights
https://guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-1904-presidential-election
https://guides.loc.gov/presidential-election-1908
https://guides.loc.gov/presidential-election-1912
https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/exhibits/1976election/primaries.html
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