Ch. 9.1:
Development of American
Political Parties
The Two-Party System
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A political party is an association of
voters with broad common interests
who want to influence or control
decision making in government by
electing the party’s candidates to
public office.
Parties pick candidates who agree
with their beliefs and try to persuade
voters to support those candidates.
The Two-Party System
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Anyone may join a political party; you
simply declare yourself a member
The U.S. has had two major parties, or a
two-party system since 1860.
George Washington hoped that parties
would not develop. He saw them as
factions that would eventually tear the
country apart.
The Two-Party System
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Two of Washington’s cabinet members lead the
way for the party movement.
Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton and
Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson disagreed
strongly about how the government should
operate.
Hamilton wanted a strong national government
and strong president; Jefferson wanted less
power for the national government and more
power to the states.
Two rival political groups would be created
The Two-Party System
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Jefferson’s group was called the
Democratic-Republican Party
In 1828, the party split, and the new
leader Andrew Jackson aligned with
the Democratic Party.
Hamilton’s group, the Federalist
Party, eventually faded away into
obscurity.
The Two-Party System
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The Whigs would eventually rise in 1830, to fill the void left
by the Federalist Party.
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Until the middle of the 1850’s, these would be the two
major parties in the U.S.
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In 1854, breakaway Democrats and Whigs who opposed
slavery formed the Republican Party.
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The Whigs lost too much support and faded away;
Democrats were still strong enough to survive
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1860 Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican
president; two parties have existed ever since.
Third Parties
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Third parties sometimes challenge
the two major parties.
A third party has never won a
presidential election and rarely wins
other major elections.
Can however influence the outcome
of elections and may influence policy
Third Parties
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Farmers and laborers formed the Populists in
the 1890s.
They called for the direct election of senators and
an 8 hour work day; eventually led to the 17th
Amendment (1913)
Wanted reform in national politics; economic
reform to combat deflation in agricultural prices;
opposed the gold standard
Did not win, but the 2 major parties adopted
many of their ideas
Third Parties
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In 1912, former Republican president Theodore
Roosevelt ran for president for the Progressive
Party, or “Bull Moose Party”
Roosevelt was an alternative for conservatives;
emphasized worker’s rights, anti-trust laws, and
a government funded creation of wildlife refuges
for environmentalists
He won enough votes away from the Republican
candidate, William Howard Taft, that the
Democrat Woodrow Wilson won the presidential
election (spoiler)
Third Parties
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Some third parties arise to promote
a social, economic, or moral issue.
The Prohibitionist Party pushed for
laws against the sale of alcohol.
Single-issue parties fade when the
issue loses importance or a major
party adopts it.
Third Parties
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Ideological parties focus on changing
society in major ways.
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The Socialist Labor Party and Communist
Party favor government ownership.
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The Libertarian Party wants more
individual freedom, less government
interference in everyday lives; The Green
Party wants to protect consumers from
the power of corporations
Third Parties
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Some third parties form around wellknown individuals who cannot get
support from a major party.
Some parties fade after their
candidates’ defeat.
Ex. H. Ross Perot 1992 Independent
Party
1996 Reform Party
Disadvantages to Third Parties
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Republican and Democratic candidates are
automatically placed on the ballot in many states.
Third party candidates must obtain a large
number of signatures to even get on the ballot
Usually only one candidate can win a district;
most voters favor one of the major parties.
Third parties have trouble raising enough money
to compete with the major parties
Other Party Systems
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Political parties exist in most countries,
but two party systems are rare
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Most democracies have multiparty
systems
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One party rarely wins enough support to
control the government, so several parties
must work together; Competing interests
can create a politically unstable situation
Ex. Canada-3 Germany-5 Israel-20
Other Party Systems
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In a one-party system, the government
and party are nearly the same thing.
In the People’s Republic of China, only the
Communist Party is allowed to exist.
This is not a democracy
There are no rival candidates in the
elections; it is a pointless exercise
Today’s Major Parties
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Competing political parties give
voters a choice among candidates
and ideas.
The major parties differ mainly in
their belief about how much the
government should be involved in
the lives of Americans
Today’s Major Parties
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Democrats tend to believe that the federal
government should be more directly
involved in regulating the economy and
providing for the poor
Republicans tend to believe that if they
help the economy grow, poor people will
have a better chance of finding jobs and
providing for themselves; less government
regulation, let free market operate
Today’s Major Parties
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Both parties try to appeal to as many
voters as possible.
As a result, they tend to adopt
mainstream, moderate positions and
avoid the extreme positions
Parties are similar because the
American people generally agree
about many issues
Today’s Major Parties
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The American people can learn about the
positions of each party through their
platform—a series of statements
expressing the party’s principles, beliefs,
and positions on issues.
Each individual part is called a plank.
The platform communicates to voters
what the party plans to do if it wins.
Ch. 9.2: Organization of American
Political Parties
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The goal that unites a party’s national,
state, and local organizations is to help
the party win as many offices as possible.
Each party has a national committee
made up of representatives from all of the
50 states; headed by a national party
chairperson
Responsible for raising funds for
presidential elections and organizes the
party’s national convention
National Party Organization
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At the national convention, party
delegates from all the states write
the platform and nominate
candidates for president and vice
president
Each party chooses delegates in the
primary elections
National Party Organization
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Historically, national conventions were
suspenseful.
Today, primary elections generally decide
the nominations before the conventions
take place
Each party also has a House and Senate
campaign committee; responsible for
electing as many members of Congress as
possible.
State and Local Organization
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Each party has 50 state
organizations that work to elect their
party’s candidates for national office.
Local party organizations consist of
towns, cities, and county committees
Each city or county is divided into
election districts or precincts
State and Local Organization
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A precinct is a geographic area that
contains a specific number of voters.
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It may be an entire small town or part of a
large city
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All voters in a precinct use the same
voting place.
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Precinct captain organizes other party
volunteers and encourages people to vote
State and Local Organization
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Several adjoining precincts make up
a larger political unit called a ward
A volunteer represents the ward at
the party’s county committee
State and Local Organization
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Counties are the largest political
units in a state.
A county chairperson runs the
county committee and has great
power if the county is large
Could advise higher ups within the
party on potential appointments
State and Local Organization
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Local party people build support at the
“grassroots” level.
Local leaders must know how their
neighbors fell about issues important to
them
At election time they must “deliver the
vote” for party candidates at every level
State and Local Organization
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In the past, some local party organizations
became so powerful that they were called
political machines
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Tammany
Hall organization ruled New York City. Its leader
Boss Tweed, grew rich from bribes and kickbacks.
At a time when no social service agencies
existed, political machines provided needy
citizens with jobs, food, and other services in
return for votes.
State and Local Organization
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Tweed’s Tammany Hall controlled
business, politics, and law enforcement
Businesses would pay employees
“bonuses” to vote for politicians that were
supported by Tammany Hall
Eventually political machines become
unresponsive to the needs of the
community because they have become so
entrenched; no fear of losing power
State and Local Organization
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Membership in a political party is not
required, but it offers a way for
citizens to be involved in politics
The only duty is to vote
Can contribute money, do volunteer
work, or help with election
campaigns.
Ch. 9.3: Role of Political Parties
Today
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Political parties are active year-round.
They keep people informed and interested
in the issues and candidates
They try to see that the party’s elected
officials are commended for their good
job; politically criticize actions of the
opposing party
Nominating Candidates
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Parties select candidates through the
nomination process.
In direct primaries, voters in each state
choose candidates to represent the party
in a general election.
Often the winner of the most primaries
wins the party’s nomination
Nominating Candidates
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Most states hold closed primaries in
which only declared members may
vote for the party’s nominees
A few states hold open primaries in
which voters need not declare a
party preference to vote for the
party’s nominees
Nominating Candidates
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For offices open to only one winner, the
nomination usually goes to the candidate
who receives a plurality—the most votes
among all those running.
In a few states, the winner must have a
majority—a number greater than half of
the total
If no candidate receives a majority, the
party or state holds a runoff election
between the two top vote getters
Nominating Candidates
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An independent candidate may get
on the ballot if enough voters sign a
petition—a paper declaring support
for the candidate
Other Party Roles
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Parties raise money for the campaign
and help get the candidates’ views
across to the public; do this through
campaign pamphlets, speeches,
advertising
Make sure supporters are registered
to vote and actually show up
Other Party Roles
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After an election, party leaders recommend party
supporters for top government jobs to be filled by
appointment.
Plays an important “watchdog” role.
Party out of power watches the actions of those
in power constantly looking for mistakes and
misuse of power.
Competition between parties forces the party in
power to pay attention to the will of the people.