Political Parties
Chapter 5
Political Party
• A political party is a group of
people who want to control
government through winning of
elections and holding public
office.
Political Parties
• There are numerous political
parties in America today
• The two major parties are
Republican and Democrat
• Others are Libertarian,
Constitutional Union, Socialist, and
others
Political Parties
• To gain support for their party,
members shape their positions,
called platforms.
• Most people do not agree with a
party’s platform 100% of the
time, but most find they lean one
way or the other.
Political Parties
• Once elected, officials rely on and
back their political party, called
partisanship
• The party in power (today it is
Republicans in the House,
Democrats in the Senate & White
House) controls legislation,
appointments, foreign policy and
spending.
Two Party System
• Third parties are groups that are
not Democrat or Republican.
• Minor parties do not do well in
national elections, but do get
elected to local and state
positions.
Two Party System
• The 2 dominant parties continually
attack one anothers’ platforms and
agendas.
• They constantly work to vote the
other party out and replace their
position with one of their own.
The First Parties
• The framers of the Constitution
did not plan political parties.
• They began over philosophical
differences about how the
Constitution should be
implemented.
The First Parties
• Federalists – believed that the
government should take as much
power as it needs. A strong
federal government would replace
strong state’s rights
• Washington, Adams, Hamilton
The First Parties
• Anti-Federalists – believed that
the government only have the
powers written expressly in the
Constitution and no more. States
should have more control.
• Jefferson, Madison, Monroe
The First Parties
• George Washington did not belong
to a party, although he backed
Federalists, and warned the
country about them.
• Political parties themselves are
generally long-lasting. The
Republican party is more than 150
years old.
Party Platforms
• The Republican Party began in
1854 as the anti-slavery party
• As times changed, so did their
platform.
Electoral System
• Most local and state elections are
to fill single-member districts,
only one person fills the position
• The person who receives the most
votes receives plurality. It may
not be the majority.
Electoral System
• In national elections, usually only
the 2 main parties are represented
in all 50 state ballots
• Even Ralph Nader’s name did not
appear on all ballots in the 2000
or 2004 election.
• Eugene Debs, socialist, was the
first.
Electoral System
• The most recent 3rd party
candidates to be on all ballots was
Ross Perot, Reform, in 1992 and
1996 and Harry Browne,
Libertarian, in 1996
Pluralistic Society
• Even though all voters are
American, they have differences.
• In our pluralistic society, we have
different ethnic, religious,
economic, and social class
differences.
Pluralistic Society
• To make progress, we come to
consensus, a general agreement
among the groups.
• Some topics are not so easily
settled: abortion, gay marriages,
gun laws, war in Iraq, etc.
Right or Left
• Conservative or Liberal
• Many voters today align
themselves with one of the two
• Most put themselves in the middle,
as moderate.
One Party Systems
• Dictatorships have only 1 party
• Stalin, Lenin, Hitler and Castro
had/have no opposition that lives
long enough to become a great
threat.
One Party Systems
• Some areas in the US could be
said to be one-party
• Many rural towns vote overwhelmingly Republican.
• South Florida and New York are
Democrat
• They aren’t a one-party system
because they have options
Who’s a Democrat?
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Jews and Catholics
African-Americans
Union members
Middle and lower social class
Young and female
Who’s a Republican?
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Protestants and Evangelicals
White
Business management
Upper and lower classes
Older and male
Party Affiliation
• Obviously, the examples are
general stereotypes and both
parties have all races, religions
and economic backgrounds.
• Party platforms help show who
they are trying to appease.
What’s Your Party Affiliation?
• You are influenced by:
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Your family
Major events
Economic status
Your age
Where you live
Your education level
Religious affiliation
History of American Politics
• The Federalist and Anti-Federalist
Parties died out quickly.
• Once the federal government was
established, states grew less
fearful about losing power and
other events rose in importance
History of American Politics
• The divisions in American politics
have remained the same even when
the issues have changed.
• The Federalists, in 1800,
attracted wealthy, educated men
and the party protected business
History of American Politics
• The same things are said about
Republicans today although the
issues are different.
• Anti-Federalists, in 1800,
attracted laborers, middle class,
and the “common man”
• The same things are said about
Democrats today.
History of American Politics
• In fact, the Anti-Federalists
became the DemocraticRepublicans and finally the
Democrats.
American Politics
• Age of Democrats 1800-1860
• Basically ran unopposed as the
economy was growing and
Americans were optimistic
• Conflicts over the National Bank,
tariffs and slavery caused the
party to break into factions
American Politics
• Age of Democrats 1800-1860
• The Jeffersonians (Jefferson,
Madison and Monroe) ruled until
the Jacksonians.
• Suffrage included all men,
number of offices grew, and the
spoils system encouraged political
participation.
American Politics
• Age of Democrats 1800-1860
• The Whigs elected only 2 (war
hero) presidents during the 60
year period
• The slavery issue brings a new
political party that rules for
more than 70 years.
American Politics
• Age of Republicans 1860-1932
• The slavery issue divided the
Democrats and united the new
Republican Party
• The Civil War left the
Democrats in shambles except in
the South
American Politics
• Age of Republicans 1860-1932
• Only 1 Democrat was elected
President (2x) during this time
when TR split the party
• The Populists put some
competition at the end of the
1800s but the Republicans
continued to dominate
American Politics
• Age of Republicans 1860-1932
• During this time, most AfricanAmericans were Republicans
• In 1929, the stock market
crashed and the GOP and
Herbert Hoover were blamed
American Politics
• Return of Democrats 1932-1968
• Americans saw the Democrats as
saviors
• Under FDR, they created jobs
and brought the country out of
the Great Depression
American Politics
• Return of Democrats 1932-1968
• They established social programs
during the New Deal – social
security and unemployment
insurance
• They reformed banking with the
Federal Reserve
American Politics
• Return of Democrats 1932-1968
• The Republicans got Eisenhower
elected in 1952 but lost the
White House again in 1960 to
JFK.
American Politics
• Return of a New Era 1968-2005
• Nixon and the GOP won the
White House and, except for
single term Jimmy Carter, 2
term Bill Clinton, and ? term
Barack Obama, have held it
• Today, Republicans control one
house of Congress
American Politics
• Return of a New Era 1968-2008
• With Republican control, they
have also been able to appoint
other Republicans to court and
ambassador positions.
• Most governorships are also
Republican controlled.
American Politics
• What will happen in 2012?
• What will happen in 2014?
• Economy
• War in Iraq
• Scandals within administration
• Education system
• Job losses