As in Britain, a two-party system has been dominant in the United States. Today, the two major parties in the US are the Democratic Party (民主党) and the Republican Party (共和党). The symbol of the Democratic Party is a donkey and an elephant represents the Republican Party.

The Democratic Party

The Democratic Party is almost as old as the United States, and its origins can be traced to the Democratic –Republican Party in 1792. The modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by Andrew Jackson.

Although both major parties use the traditional American colors of red, white, and bluein their representations, but blue is the identifying color for the DemocraticParty since the 2000 election. And the first official logo, featuring a blue Dinside a blue circle, has been used since 2010.

The Republican Party

The Republican Party was founded in 1854. It was a party of northern capitalists who opposed slavery. In 1860, the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln, was elected President and the Civil War broke out a few months afterward. From then on, the Republicans held the presidency for most of the years until 1913. Since World War II, the two parties have held the presidency in turn.

The term "Grand Old Party" is a traditional nickname for the Republican Party, and the abbreviation "GOP" is a commonly used designation. The identifying color of the Republican Party is red.

Comparison between the two parties

Generally speaking, the Democratic Party has a liberal ideology, while the Republican Party is more conservative. This affects their attitudes toward economic issues, social issues, and foreign affairs.

The Democrats want the government to play an important role in the economy and emphasize full employment as a matter of national concern. They favor civil rights laws, a strong social security system, less restrictive abortion（堕胎）laws, among others.

The Republicans favor an economic system which gives enterprises greater freedom and demand that the government control inflation（通货膨胀）.They stress the need for law and order and oppose complete government social programs and free choice of abortion. In addition, they favor a strong military posture（立场）and assertive stand in international relations.

    The two parties have almost the same basic organization. At the national level, there is the national convention and the national committee. At the state level conventions are held in a few states, while each state has a state committee. National conventions of both parties are held every 4 years to choose the candidates for the Presidency and Vice Presidency of the United States, and decide the party’s policy and program.