The Divided States of America
“The Divided States of America” is a documentary how that partisanship divides us as American citizens. Specifically, I have constructed this documentary in hopes that it will explain why we feel the need as Americans to categorize ourselves as Republicans and Democrats.
Ever since the drafting of the Declaration of Independence the people of the United States of America have separated themselves based on race and religion, as well as political party. We inherited the two party system of Whigs and Tories from Britain, and this system has led mainly to schism. In fact, party politics have never before weighed so heavily on American citizens as they do today.
In researching the many factors that play into our current division, I interviewed people with different perspectives from different demographics. Hopefully, this strategy will help bring the problem of partisanship to the fore. Also, looking to the future, I am hoping this film will dissuade people from voting solely based on party in the next election.
About the creator, Zach Edwards
This
country was founded on the premise that all people are created equal,
but we seem to find ways everyday to divide ourselves instead of
discovering ways to disagree or deliberate productively. I grew up in a household that preached bipartisanship, and as a result I learned to vote for presidential candidates based on each individual's values and policies.
Researching the candidates for the 2008 election, I saw more hate campaigns than ever before. Irritatingly, it seemed as if all I could learn were stereotypical faults attributed to each candidate based on his or her political party.
I made this video in response. I am sick and tired of being criticized for believing the things that I believe and supporting the politicians that I support as though I did so only because of party affiliation. Maybe greater awareness of the division that party politics creates an lead people to believe that a bipartisanship is not only necessary but also attainable. If that were to happen, maybe there would be true unity in the United States of America.
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