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