Political Parties Chapter 10

Being an AmericanLesson 1

Essential Questions:•How do citizens, both individually and collectively, influence government policy?

It Matters Because:Political parties are one of the major ways citizens participate in the political process and influence the direction of government.

Growth of American PartiesGuiding Question: Why did

political parties develop?Political party- is a group of people

with broad, shared interestsSome Americans join a political party

to share ideas with others who feel as they do

Voters who want to influence or control decision making in government

They have influence by electing the party’s candidate to public office

Two-party-system- a system of government in which two political parties compete for power

The First Parties The United States

Constitution does not mention political parties

By the 1790’s two groups had formed to compete for political parties

People had different ideas about what government should be How much power

should the federal government have?

Thomas JeffersonSecretary of State

Wanted to protect people’s rights by limiting the power of the national government

More power for the states Closer to the people

Jefferson and his supporters started the Democratic-Republican party This party grew stronger

Alexander Hamilton Secretary of Treasury

If the federal government was too weak individuals’ rights would be in danger

Favored a strong national government

Strong central government was needed to have a healthy economy

Hamilton and his supporters started the Federalists party Soon faded away

Today’s Major Parties By 1824, the Democratic-

Republican party was very dominant4 candidates ran for president in

the same partyJohn Quincy Adams defeated

Andrew JacksonTensions between the two

candidates and their supporters remained

Sectional differences among North, South and West increased the tension

By 1828, the Democratic-Republican party had split

Andrew JacksonSupporters- called themselves the Democratic

Party Stressed ties to common peopleSame as the Democratic party of today

Opponents- called themselves the National RepublicansFaded away quickly The Whig party took their place (until 1850s)

Proposed internal improvements such as roads and canals Avoided the issue of slavery

Evolution of American Political PartiesPARTY DATES OF EXISTENCE DESCRIPTION

Federalists 1790s-1820 Favored a strong central government

Democratic-Republican 1790s-1828 Formed to oppose Federalists; favored state over national government

National Republican 1825-1834 Split from Democratic-Republicans to oppose Andrew Jackson and work for strong central government

Democratic 1825-Present Formed from Democratic-Republicans; supported Andrew Jackson; said it supported common people

Whig 1834-1854 Formed from National Republicans and others; favored internal improvements

Republican 1854-Present Formed from Whigs and other groups; opposed spread of slavery to new territories and favored internal improvements

Republican Party1854 people who opposed

slavery joined together to form the Republican partyAbolish slavery in the SouthOthers didn’t want slavery in the

new territoriesAs the slavery issue became more

important, the Whig party dissolved

The republicans dominated national politics for about 75 years after the Civil WarDemocrats served as president

only 16 of the 75 yearsThe Great Depression changed

the balance to democrats’ favor , 28 of the ne3xt 36 years

Since 1968 Republicans have won 7 times and Democrats on 4 times

Third Parties Guiding Question- What is the

importance of third parties in American politics?

Third Party- a political party that challenges the two major parties There have been many third parties

throughout U.S. history No widespread support from voters They promoted ideas that were unpopular at

first Popular Party from the 1890s called for

Senators to be elected by voters. Progressive Party of the early 1900s, worked to

give voters a more direct role in government

Types of Third Parties Single-issue political parties

They promote a particular cause

Prohibition Party (1872)-main purpose was to ban the sale of alcohol

They usually fade away, when the issue looses importance

Parties formed because of ideology, and beliefs about governmentCommunist Party USA

They believe government should own all resources and business

Types of Third Parties (continued)Other third parties unite

around and independent leader with strong personalities Ross Perot- ran in 1992 as an

independent Founded the Reform party, ran

again in 1996 Reform party is very weak now

Third parties have to collect signatures from many voters to appear on the ballot They have a hard time raising

money and compete against the two big parties

Other Party Systems Political parties exist in most

countries The role they play differs in every

countryMany have multi-party systems

Canada – 3 parties France – more than 8 Israel –more than 20

Hard for one party to gain control of the government

Parties join forces and work together

Some nations have only a one party system China- only has the Communist

Party No rival candidates are allowed to

run Election is mainly for show Not a democratic government

Party Differences Guiding Question –How do

American’s major modern political parties differ?

They differ in how much the government should be involved in the economy and in citizens’ lives

Democrats The federal government should be

more involved in regulating the economy Provide housing, income, education, jobs

for the poorThey are stronger in the Northeast

and West coastRepublicans

Favor less government regulation of the economy as the best way to promote prosperity Stronger in the South

Things in Common Both parties try to adopt a moderate (down the

middle) viewsAppeal to as many voters as possible

Both believe economic growth is the best way to deal with unemployment

Both are national partiesThey have candidates throughout the country

Platform- a series of statements expressing a party’s:Principles, beliefs, and positions on elections issues

Political Parties TodayLesson 2

Essential Question: How do citizens, both individually and

collectively influence government policy?

It matters Because:Understanding how political parties work helps

citizens as they follow campaigns and select candidates they wish to support.

Organization of Political PartiesGuiding Question: How are

political parties organized?

National Organization and Convention Each party has a National

Committee Representatives from the 50

state party organization who run a political party

Led by a national chairperson Raise money for presidential

election Organize the party’s national

convention

ConventionsAt the convention the delegates

choose the party’s candidates for:

President and Vice President

Delegates are chosen through: Presidential primary election Caucus-special meeting

Conventions use to be suspenseful events

Now it’s just a formality Conventions are good for building

party unity Launches the election campaign

Major parties also have campaign committees for candidates for Congress

Raise money Give advice and support to candidates

State and Local Organizations The 50 state

committees work to elect party candidates to state offices

Governor, state legislator, and others

National offices- Senate, House of Representatives

Local level- thousands of city, town, and county committees

County chairperson has a lot of power

Precincts Each city or county is

divided into election districts called precincts. Precinct- a geographic area

that contains a specific number of voters Could be an entire town or a

group of neighborhoods in a large city

Each precinct appoints a captain Register voters Organize volunteers Distribute leaflets

Organization of Political PartiesNational Chairperson

National Committee

National Convelntion State Chairperson Congressional Campaign Committee

Senatorial Campaign Committee

State Committee

Local Chairperson

City, Town, or County Committe

Precint Captain Precinct Workers

Political Machines Political machines- a

strong party organization that can control political appointments and deliver votesStrong political

organizations Their candidates tend to

win electionThey tend to be in power

too longTendency to become

corrupt

Becoming Involved in a Political Party

You don’t have to join a political party to vote

Parties offer citizens a great way to participate in politics

Political parties try to attract as many members as possible Members can do

volunteer work Make phone calls, help

register voters, help with fund raising

Selecting Party Candidates Guiding Question: how do political parties

nominate candidates?

Citizens can run for almost any public officeThe major job of political parties is to choose

or nominate candidates for office

Direct Primary- an election in which voters choose candidates to represent each political party in a general election

Types of Primaries ElectionsTwo forms of direct

primary: closed and openClosed Primary- an

election in which only the declared members of a political party are allowed to vote for that party’s nominees

Open Primary- an election in which voters need not declare their party preference

Winning a PrimaryThe winner is the one

with a plurality of votesPlurality- most votes,

even if less than 50%Some states require a

majority of votes Candidate must get more

than 50%If there is no majority,

there is a runoff vote (2nd primary) Runoff between the two

candidates with the most votes

Officeholder Most offices have only one

officeholderMayor, district representative

Sometimes more than one type of position is vacant Several city council membersThe party can nominate more

than one candidateThird party nominees have

to file a petition Then they have to collect

enough signatures

Other Political Party FunctionsGuiding Question- What other roles do political

parties play?The main role of political parties is to elect

candidates to office.Support Candidates

Helps win elections, volunteers, raise money, register voter

Communicate with citizens Speeches, printed materials adds, listen to citizens

Run the government Congress and state legislatures are organized based on

party membership Support party positions on bills At every level, appoint people to fill certain position

Other Political Party FunctionsThe main role of political parties is to elect

candidates to office.Link Levels of government

Political parties help officials at different levels of government work together

If they are from the same party, they are likely to work together

Acting as a watchdog If one party loses power in the election, you keep

check on the other party Make sure they don’t misuse their power The party out of power is referred to as the

opposition party