In some States, and in many local communities, one of the major parties may be overwhelmingly dominant. And it may remain so for a long time, for example, the Democrats were throughout the South from the post-Civil War years to the 1960's. But, on the whole, and through most of our history, the United States has been a two-party nation.

+The two-party system is rooted in the beginnings of the nation itself. The Framers of the Constitution were opposed to political parties. The ratificationof the constitution saw the birth of America's first two parties. Membership in a party is purely voluntary. A person is either a Republican or a Democrat, or belongs to a minor party, or is an independent because that is what he or she chooses to be.