Describe the roots and original party platforms of todays present Democratic and Republican political parties.

The Democratic Party, although it had existed from the time of the framing as the Democratic-Republican party, headed more or less by Thomas Jefferson, was reformulated by Andrew Jackson in the 1820s, and its core principles were a deep distrust of cultural or fiscal aristocracy, central government, fiat money and large banks. It was strongly populist, strongly in favor of exploitation of the Western frontier and natural resources generally, and generally strongly racist, with an abiding contempt for Native Americans, foreign immigrants, and blacks. The Republican Party was founded from the ashes of the Whigs in the 1850s, and its first important leader was Abraham Lincoln, elected President in 1860s. Its core principles were a "frontiersman" self-reliance, ecological conservationism, support for small business, a neutrality towards large business and government, and a strong support for the civil rights of immigrants, Native Americans, and blacks. Of course, over time each party has evolved considerably. The Civil War devastated the Democratic Party, inasmuch as it had been strongly in favor of secession and slavery, and the party did not return to national-level power for 20 years. Additionally, the Republican Party became much friendlier to big business and big government while it was in power during Reconstruction and early industrialization. Another major shift in the party identities occured during the "Progressive Era" in American politics, roughly from the 1890s up to the election of Harding in 1920, during which the Republican Party became associated with business and nativism, while the Democrats became associated with labor, immigrants, and urban "machine" government. The 1930s and 40s broadened that alliance to include the burgeoning ranks of Federal government workers, and produced a broad alliance that held power for a generation. The last major shift occured in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the Democratic Party abandoned its attempt to keep the white working class, particularly men, and concentrated its appeal on young people, women, particularly unmarried women, minorities, and the college educated. This proved to be a weaker coalition, and when the Republicans were able to attract significant white working class support, e. g. in 1980, 1984, 2000, 2004, and 2010, they have overwhelmed the Democrats in elections. However, the Republican Party has proved unable to hold that segment reliably, which now forms a big chunk of independents, and consequently for the past 30 years or so neither party has had a reliable majority coalition. The unfortunate fact is that, aside from the name, there is not a lot of strong similarity between the Democratic and Republican Parties of 2012 and their namesakes in 1824 or 1854, respectively. About all you could say is that the Democrats have always been more supportive of the collective will, and more interested in what government can power can do for them, while Republicans have always been more supportive of individual liberty, and more afraid of what government power can do to them. And even that has to have some large asterisks and caveats on it.