Political Parties
Definition:
A political party is an organization that seeks to achieve political power by
electing its members to public office so that their political philosophies can be
reflected in public policies.
Today, it is hard to imagine the United States without political parties. The
party system has become an important ritual in our political process. Political
parties were not established by the United States Constitution.
Party Components:
There are three key components to a viable political party. They are as follows:
1. The Party in the Electorate:
The party in the electorate consists of all those citizens who identify as a
Democrat or Republican.
For example, if you are registered as either a Democrat or Republican,
then you are the party in the electorate.
2. The Party in Government:
The party in government consists of all those members of a party that
currently serving in government whether they were elected or appointed.
For example, the Democrats hold the office of president while the United
States Congress has a majority of Democrats that were elected to the
House and Senate. Therefore the Democrats control both houses of
Congress.
1
3. The Formal Party Organization:
The party organization is the formal party structure and includes all party
officers and members.
This component is comprised of active party “professionals” who actually
control and direct the party at the local, state, and national level. These
individuals are involved in important campaign strategies and fundraising
activities.
Functions of a Political Party:
 Mobilization of Voters
On Election Day, party workers will make every effort to mobilize the
party base to get to the polls and vote. They accomplish this through
phone calls and in some cases providing transportation to the polls.
 Recruiting Candidates
Party professionals recruit candidates to run for public office under the
party label. Their goal is to get enough candidates elected to office so
their party can control the government and develop appropriate public
policies. Political power is the ultimate goal.
 Providing Campaign Resources
The party assists candidates in raising funds so that they will have the
financial means to conduct an increasingly expensive campaign.
They also provide manpower to assist candidates conduct a grass roots
campaign.
2
 Educating the Public
The party provides their views on key political issues and where the
candidates stand on these issues.
The party utilizes various techniques such as campaign speeches, debates,
television newscasts, campaign advertisements, and campaign literature
to educate the electorate on important political issues.
They try to influence public opinion by identifying the nation’s/state’s
problems and suggesting political solutions to these problems.
 Legislative Organization
The United States Congress and state legislatures are organized by party
political affiliations.
Legislative leaders as well as committee assignments are selected by the
party that is in the majority.
 Political Watchdog
The party that is in the minority will be sure to take opportunities to
criticize the policies and decisions of the party that currently hold power.
The minority party hopes to influence the policies of the majority party,
while laying the groundwork for the next election.
The American Party System
The United States has two major political parties – the “Democrats” and
the “Republicans”.
The two-party system is not common in most states. Most democracies in
Europe have multi-party systems. Only five other states have a two-party
system. They are Australia, Austria, Canada, Great Britain, and New
Zealand.
3
History of the Development of Political Parties in the United States:
Political Parties are not mentioned in the United States
Constitution. They have become a tradition and therefore have
become part of our unwritten constitution.
The Founding Fathers feared the rise of factions and therefore a
divided government. The “Father of the United States
Constitution”, James Madison predicted that factions would
inevitable develop over economic issues. In the Federalist Paper
#10, Madison explained that different economic groups could be
expected to hold different opinions about the role of government
and would organize to further policies favorable to themselves. His
hope was that the federal system under the United States
Constitution would offset the negative influence of factions.
President George Washington in his Farewell Address warned that
the nation could be destroyed by the “baneful effects of the spirit
of party.
I personally believe that our government has become paralyzed by
gridlock due to party politics. It is no longer what is good for the
United States of America or Massachusetts rather is is what is good
for the Democratic or Republican Party.
Long before the origin of the American political system, factions
existed in America. The Tories and Americans were formed just
prior to the American Revolution. The Tories supported the efforts
of Great Britain over the Americans.
4
Factions also grew over the debate concerning the ratification of
the United States Constitution. The Federalist supported the
ratification of the Constitution and the Anti-Federalist was opposed
to it.
Origin of United States Political Parties:
Political parties became a reality in the United States during the first
administration of President Washington. A conflict developed between
two prominent cabinet members – Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the
Treasury and Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State.
As Madison predicted, the conflict arose over economic policies.
The Federalist Party: 1789 – 1816
The Federalist Party was led by Alexander Hamilton believed in:





A strong national government
Broad interpretation of the United States Constitution.
A pro-Great Britain foreign policy.
An economic policy favoring commerce and manufacturing.
An aristocratic concept of government.
Presidents: George Washington and John Adams
Leaders: Alexander Hamilton and John Marshall
Contributions:
 The Federalist laid the foundation of a strong government.
 They laid the foundations of a national economy
 They created and staffed a national judicial system.
5
 They enunciated enduring principles of American foreign
policy.
Democratic-Republicans: 1800 – 1824
Thomas Jefferson was the leader of the Democratic-Republican Party.
They advocated for:






A strict construction of the United States Constitution.
Preservation of the powers of the states. (states’ rights)
Individual rights.
A democratic concept of government.
A pro-French Foreign policy.
The development of agriculture as the nation’s primary
interest.
o
Presidents: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and John
Quincy Adams.
Leaders: Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
Contributions:
o The Louisiana Purchase
o A New Nationalism
6
The Democratic Party: (1828 - )
The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the
United States, the other being the Republican Party.
It is the oldest political party in the United States.
The Democratic Party has the most registered voters of any party as of
2004, with 72 million voters. Polls taken over the last decade indicates
34% to 36 % of American voters self-identify as Democrats.*
President Barack Obama is the 15th Democrat to hold the Office of
President of the United States.
The Democratic Party traces it origin to the Democratic-Republican Party,
founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in 1792. However, the
modern Democratic Party became a reality in the late 1820s with the
election of Andrew Jackson as President of the United States. He became
the first modern Democratic President.
The following advances were made under the Jackson Administration:









The strengthening of the national government.
Increased power and influence of the executive branch.
Greater political democracy. (free manhood suffrage)
The advent of political organizations. (machines and bosses)
The spoils system was introduced.
An increase in the number of elected officials.
Shorter terms of office.
The advent of the nominating conventions.
The selection of presidential electors by the voters instead of
state legislatures.
The Democratic Party became known as the party of the common man.
7
The Whig Party (1834 – 1852)
The Whig Party formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew
Jackson.
The leaders of this party call themselves “Whigs” after the antimonarchist
party in Great Britain. The Whigs referred to President Jackson as King
Andrew.
Presidents: William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor
o Each of these presidents were former generals and both died in
office.
o John Tyler became President upon the death of Harrison and
supported the Democrats.
Leaders: Henry Clay and Daniel Webster
Contribution:
 The Compromise of 1850
The Republican Party (1854 - )
The Republican Party is the other one of the major political parties in the
United States.
The Republican Party is nicknamed the GOP, meaning Grand Old Party,
despite the fact that it is the youngest of the two political parties.
The Republican Party can trace its origin to a meeting that was held in
February of 1854 in a school house in Ripon, Wisconsin. It was founded
by anti-slavery expansion activists.
8
The party has the second most registered voters with 55 million,
encompassing roughly one-third of the electorate. Polls over the last year
have found that twenty-one to twenty-six percent of Americans selfidentify as Republicans.
There have been eighteen Republicans elected to the Office of President
of the United States. The first Republican President was Abraham Lincoln
and the most recent, George W. Bush.
Presidential Candidates:
1856: John C. Freemont
1860: Abraham Lincoln
The Republican Party dominated the national scene from 1861 through
1884.
Contributions:
Preserved the Union
Northern Victory
Thirteenth Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment
Fifteenth Amendment
9
10
11