Do you know anything about these political parties?
The Republicans and the Democrats – we all know about their existence and their whereabouts – but they are not the only players that exist in the political landscape.
Under the buttoned-up and predictable appearance, politics are more complicated, and there are many parties that fly under the radar. The parties we want to talk about today challenge norms, and, in some cases, seem completely off the wall. Democracy is a flexible system that has room for just about every idea imaginable.
For now, it is clear that the major parties will dominate headlines and ballots, but it would be interesting to also be aware of the smaller factions that exist out there. Some of them are built on satire, others on sincere (but niche) ideologies; you never know what might sound relatable to you.
These are the most bizarre political parties you’ve probably never heard of. Some of them might make you laugh, while others even spark some admiration in your heart with their audacity.
Free Soil Party
Back then, politics used to be bold and downright revolutionary, and the best example of this is the Free Soil Party. It was founded in 1848, a time when the United States was divided over slavery and the overall political landscape was quite tense.
This is one of the most surprising political parties, an alliance formed from ex-Democrats and leftover Whigs that united under a noble and ethical cause – stopping the expansion of slavery into new Western territories.
Their slogan was very straightforward and inspiring: “Free soil, free speech, free labor, and free men.” Probably a little bit too much of a mouthful, sure, but the punch was there. Some big names were in charge at that time, such as Martin Van Buren and Salmon P. Chase, and this gave them the power to make their message heard: no new slave states.
This is one of the political parties that never had a president, but they were the ones who stirred the pot and planted the seeds that led to the formation of the Republican Party. Yes, Republicans freed the slaves!
The Objectivist Party
If you’ve ever read Ayn Rand and thought, “You know what, this should be a political party,” then say hello to the Objectivist Party. Yep, this is a party founded by Rand herself and is a party focused on her philosophy of Objectivism. We told you that there are some strange political parties on this list. This is for sure one of them.
The Objectivist Party has an interesting premise: individualism is far superior to collectivism. It was all about unapologetic individualism, free-market capitalism, and keeping the government’s hands out of, well, everything.
The core beliefs of the party were simple. Reason, self-interest, and personal happiness are the ultimate goals of life, and every man should strive to achieve them. Compassion and community were not their thing, and they even openly rejected altruism, calling it a moral trap. Of all political parties, this one is incredibly controversial even today, and even if they didn’t have major election wins, it attracted a very specific niche of philosophy-loving political purists.
The main problem of this party is that it is almost completely disconnected from the real world, and as a result, it is one of those things that might make you ask loudly, “Wait, that’s real?” Yes, it is real.
The Constitution Party
This is one of the political parties that the Founding Fathers would have probably loved, and if you are tired of choosing between red and blue, then this might also be your cup of tea. This is a third-party movement that wants to take America back to its roots. And when we say this, we really mean it.
Way back in this case means that the Constitution Party adores the Constitution as the Founding Fathers wrote it, and they believe the best thing for the US is to follow it exactly as it was more than 200 years ago!
The Constitution Party promotes conservative values, but they want to cover them in a shiny liberal coat. They are all about federal government, strong states’ rights, religious freedom, gun rights, and the “sanctity of life.”
As you might imagine, this is one of the political parties that will not win the White House anytime soon, but this party managed to make its mark in local and state races. This is something, and their main voters are the people who are not fans of the mainstream options.
Anti-Masonic Party
Conspiracy theories were not always trending on the internet, but they were there since the beginning, and in the 1800s, they were making headlines in American politics. Who initiated this back then? Well, it was one of the strangest political parties we ever heard of, the Anti-Masonic Party.
This party was formed in the late 1820s, and they had targeted a very specific group of people, the Freemasons. Yes, we are talking about the secretive fraternal order. But why would anyone have anything with the Masons? Well, back then, they had some serious influence.
The Anti-Masons were not ok with this because they considered it a power imbalance. They believed the Masons were pulling strings behind the scenes, operating in the shadows, and threatening good old American democracy.
At first, this was something small, but it became something so much bigger rapidly. The Anti-Masonic Party holds the title of America’s first third political party, and they were the first to hold a national nominating convention in 1831!
They never won the presidency, but they had a few seats in Congress and managed to influence the national conversation around transparency and accountability.
Readjuster Party
After the Civil War, Virginia was not in the best position. Drowned in debt and with a shaky political landscape, the Old Dominion seemed to soon disappear from the map of the United States.
This is when the Readjuster Party entered the scene and, without hesitation, said, “Enough’s enough!” It was 1879 when one of the political parties, led by former Confederate general William Mahone, gathered all the existing forces and decided to “readjust” Virginia’s massive debt and make government work for all its people. This was some radical stuff during that time.
What was most fascinating about this party was that this was such an unlikely alliance of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents that merged their forces to rebuild Virginia. They had a simple goal: Readjusters wanted to renegotiate the state’s obligations so regular people weren’t crushed under the weight of old war loans. They also believed public education is essential and pushed this and the need for funding. Even more, they had the same beliefs regarding Black Virginians.
As you can imagine, the conservative elites were not happy with what the Readjusters were aiming for, but this party still managed to leave behind a legacy of fiscal reform and social progress.
If you want to learn more about Republicans, this book might be a good start: Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans
You should also read more about: 14 Things US Presidents Can NEVER Do in Office