CHAPTER 18
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
Political Parties
Section 1: Role of Political Parties
Section 2: The U.S. Two-Party System
Section 3: Party Organization
Section 4: Political Parties and the Public Good
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
Political Parties
Section 1:
Role of Political Parties
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
Objectives:
 What are political parties?
 What functions do political parties serve?
 What are the different kinds of party systems?
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
Political Parties
Section 1:
Role of Political Parties
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
Political parties are organized groups that try to
influence government power.
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
Political Parties
Section 1:
Role of Political Parties
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
Functions of political parties:
 assisting the electoral process
 organizing the day-to-day operations of government
 nominating candidates for office
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
Political Parties
Section 1:
Role of Political Parties
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
Different kinds of party systems:
 one-party
 two-party
 multiparty
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
Political Parties
Section 2:
The U.S. Two-Party System
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
Objectives:
 Why did political parties develop in the United States?
 How do the main political parties in the United States
today differ from each other?
 What role do third parties play in the U.S. two-party
system?
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
Political Parties
Section 2:
The U.S. Two-Party System
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
Political parties developed in the United States as
a result of disputes between Thomas Jefferson and
Alexander Hamilton over a variety of policies.
For example, Jefferson believed farming should
receive federal support, and Hamilton thought it
should go to manufacturing and trade interests.
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
Political Parties
Section 2:
The U.S. Two-Party System
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
Differences between the Democratic and
Republican Parties:
 Democratic Party—backs more federal support on
behalf of disadvantaged groups
 Republican Party—supports less government
intervention
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
Political Parties
Section 2:
The U.S. Two-Party System
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
Role of third parties in the U.S. two-party system:
 Third parties have often affected the outcome of
elections by taking votes away from either Republican
or Democratic candidates.
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
Political Parties
Section 3:
Party Organization
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
Objectives:
 How were early political parties structured, and how
did this structure change in the late 1800s?
 How did state parties change after the decline of local
parties?
 How did national party organization change in the
1900s?
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
AMERICAN
HOLT
Political Parties
GOVERNMENT
Section 3:
Party Organization
Structure of early political parties:
 strong local parties and weak state and national parties
in the mid-to late 1800s
 local parties dominated by political machines
 weakened local parties in the late 1800s as a result of
reforms
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
Political Parties
Section 3:
Party Organization
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
How state parties changed after the decline of
local parties:
 grew in strength and power
 began to finance party activities through their own
fundraising efforts as well as with the help of national
party funds
 gained permanent headquarters and a full-time
chairperson
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
Political Parties
Section 3:
Party Organization
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
How national party organization changed in the
1900s:
 grew in strength and power
 gained permanent national headquarters buildings run
by a national committee and large staff
 supported state party activities with funding
 became wealthier, which allowed national parties to
expand their services
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
Political Parties
Section 4:
Political Parties and the Public Good
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
Objectives:
 What are common criticisms of the U.S. two-party
system?
 What are the benefits of the U.S. two-party system?
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
AMERICAN
HOLT
Political Parties
Section 4:
Political Parties and the Public Good
GOVERNMENT
Common criticisms of the U.S. two-party system:
 overly influenced by special interests
 filled with self-serving office seekers
 too concerned with politicking
 too weak to be effective
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
Political Parties
Section 4:
Political Parties and the Public Good
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
Benefits of the U.S. two-party system:
 provide ready information about politics
 balance the political system by representing varied
opinions
 discourage sudden shifts in political trends
 encourage political participation
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
Chapter Wrap-Up
1. What are political parties, and why are they
important to the political system?
2. What are the primary functions of political
parties in the United States?
3. What issues led to the creation of the first
political parties in the United States?
4. What are some significant changes caused by
political parties?
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HOLT, RINEHART
AND
WINSTON
AMERICAN
HOLT
GOVERNMENT
Chapter Wrap-Up
5. What role have third parties played in the
United States?
6. Was the sphere of influence strongest during
the 1800s at the national, state, or local level?
How has this changed?
7. What activities do state parties perform?
8. What are some criticisms of political parties?
9. How do political parties promote the public
good?
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HOLT, RINEHART
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WINSTON