Every election year tells the same story, Republicans and Democrats battle for the right to hold powerful positions in our country with third party candidates often an afterthought. But with nothing in the Constitution or federal laws discussing a two-party system, how did this become the political norm?

“I have looked at presidential elections, congressional elections and gubernatorial elections between 1865 and 1900 and clearly America was voting for Democrats or Republicans,” said Flagler College assistant professor Steve Voguit. “I am intrigued by this tradition since the constitution does not require political parties at all.”

Voguit will address this topic as he continues the 2012 Community Lecture Series on Oct. 23 with a talk on “United Nation, Divided Nation: Patterns in American Politics after the Civil War.”

“I’ll be attempting to show the solidifying of the two-party tradition and the domination of the Democrats and Republicans at the national level,” said Voguit, who was recently included in the Princeton Review’s latest book, “The Best 300 Professors.” “I will also talk briefly about the political conditions of that time like high voter turnout and very close elections for instance as well as the establishment of tradition in our society in general and in this case politically.”

Professor Voguit earned his M.Ed. and B.S. degrees from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. He also completed graduate coursework at the University of Florida, the University of South Florida and Texas State University.

Voguit’s lecture is the second in this year’s lecture series entitled “Reconstruction & Gild: Wealth, Innovation and the Pursuit of Status in Late 19th Century America” which focuses on defining moments in American history during the mid to late 1800s. Speakers will discuss the topic through the lens of their particular discipline.

Tickets are $5 per person for a single lecture, or $15 for four lectures. Active military personnel may attend at no charge. Lectures begin at 10 a.m. in the Flagler Room at Flagler College, 74 King St. Reservations are required, but space is limited. The lecture will last approximately one hour and will be followed by a coffee and pastry reception.

For reservations or more information, call Holly Hill, Assistant Director of College Relations at (904) 819-6282. To watch a live stream of these lectures, visit ustream.tv/channel/community-lecture-series.

Flagler College is an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 24 majors, 29 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost; tuition is $23,690, including room and board. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for the historic beauty of its campus. The main building is Ponce de Leon Hall, built in 1887 as a luxury resort by Henry Flagler, who co-founded the Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu.

Source: Flagler College