Political Parties guided notes

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Political Parties & Interest Groups Guided Notes
Interest Groups

What are they?
 Associations or organizations of individuals who share a particular view in

What do they do?
 Use their collective strength to

their
How do they impact politics?
 Can place their
 Offer
 Can
concerned with
politically
behind a candidate
to a candidate
for office
public officials to take actions on the issues the group is
Interest Groups you may have heard of:
 PETA
 NAACP

ASPCA
Political Parties:
What do they do?
 Promote a
 Select

 Finance election campaigns

government
to influence government policy and citizens
for
2 “Big Tent” Parties

Both Republicans and Democrats are considered “Big Tent” parties because there are many
that support unrelated issues who associate with the same party.
 Different people with different views supporting the

Often in American politics
parties limit their interests to a
.
 For example, the Green Party is a political party that puts environmentalism at the center of its agenda.
Fun Fact!


Both parties were combined into one party known as the Democratic-Republican Party
Democratic-Republican Party broke apart around
due to opposing views within
the group
The History of Democrats






political party in the U.S.
Formed in the 1830’s from the Democratic-Republican Party
Formed by
Originally opposed
and tolerated slavery
th
Underwent transformation in the mid-20 century and became more of what we
know today as the Democrat party
– first Democrat president of the U.S.
Andrew Jackson - the first
elected President

Andrew Jackson,
 The
President of the US
 He was the
presidential candidate to run as a Democrat.
 History knows him as the first President to frequently
laws passed in Congress.
 Jackson was responsible for enfranchising all white males (giving them the
), large Indian removal projects and the distribution of land to white southern farmers.
 Jackson’s Democrats were also considered the party in
of slavery and as a
result typically won elections in southern states.
Where did the Democrat Donkey come from?
 Andrew Jackson used a donkey to symbolize his working class roots and ever since the Democrats have been
known as the part of the donkey.

Democrats evolved into the party that represented mainly the
North and predominantly white
classes of cities in the
in the South until 1932.
Transforming the Democrats
 Franklin D. Roosevelt
 Took presidency in
 Led the United States out the Great Depression by expanding government services like
, social security,
and
to a lesser extent supporting civil rights laws.
 John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson continued the tradition set by FDR in pushing forward civil
rights laws such as the
and expanding the
(a type of government designed to take care of its citizens)
Democrats Today
 Today the Democrats are commonly perceived as the party of
government, civil rights, women’s
rights, environmentalism, the poor and pacifism (slow to go to war).
 Our
is from the Democrat Party
History of the Republicans
 The Republicans were born in
with support of
(people against slavery) and those who supported a strong federal government.
 Known as the GOP or the
because they were the party
that “won the war” during the Civil War

was the first Republican to be elected President.
 Later, in the late 1880s Republicans became known as the party of
business.
 They favored
government,
 Were
taxes
 Thought that the economy could take
if left to its own devises.
Where did the Republican Elephant come from?
Republicans came to be associated with elephants due to the political cartoons of Thomas Nast in 1874.
Transforming the Republican Party
 The modern Republican Party was born out of Richard Nixon’s


Nixon appealed to southern white voters by proclaiming his support of states’ rights and promised to
make the US safer.
Today the Republican Party stands for many of the issue Richard Nixon supported such as
, small government, the rights to
, pro-life policies, a strong military and a smaller
.
Republicans Today!
 The Republican party today
 Tend to support public policies that
the
of government
and
.
 Typically support the
 Are generally
to the legalization of abortion (pro-life)
 Usually vote against programs to increase the size of the welfare state.
What are the differences between Republicans and Democrats today?
Republican vs. Democrat
The Economy and Taxes
Democrats
 Are generally in favor of large government and
a progressive tax system in which the wealthy
pay a
than the poor
 Tend to believe in a
and are willing to
taxes if needed
 Tend to make laws to
American
from international competition
Republicans
 Are generally in favor of a
government
 Vehemently
raising
taxes even if it means a budget deficit
 Tend to believe in
and don’t tend to protect US businesses from
international competition
What side do you agree with?
National Defense and Security
Democrats
 Tend to
the military budget
 Generally want to
American military intervention unless
supported by the United Nations

Tend to believe in diplomacy (solving problems
without
) and are
slow to go to war
Republicans
 Believe in a strong military and are willing to
pay for it with government money
 Believe in confronting American enemies with
or without
 Believe in using military intervention when
American
or
is threatened
more quickly than Democrats
What side do you agree with?
Entitlements- Welfare, Medicaid, Social Security, Health Care
Democrats
Republicans
 Generally think that the government should
 Generally think the government should
provide a broad safety net (health care, education,
Or
welfare, food stamps) for the
the “safety net” for the poor.
and others.
 They believe that private businesses and non They generally think these policies help the
profit
can provide
common good and are compassionate
the same services
What side do you agree with?
Crime and Punishment
Democrats
 Tend to focus on
programs over long prison sentences for
convicted criminals
 Usually a
the death
penalty
 Focus on rights of the accused
Republicans
 Tend to focus on prison sentences as a
deterrent to crime
 Usually for the
 Usually for stiffer
convicted criminals
for
What side do you agree with?
Environmental Protection
Democrats
 Favor stricter regulations on businesses to
the environment
 Believe global warming is a
Republicans
 Favor fewer restrictions on businesses in the
hopes that wealthier companies will be able to
be more environmental
 Many
global warming is a real threat
What side do you agree with?
Abortion and Stem Cell Research
Democrats
 Tend to be
believe that a woman should always have the
right to
to have an abortion
 Tend to
stem-cell
research
Republicans
 Tend to be
- do
not believe that women have a right to have an
abortion and instead call abortion a form of
murder
 Tend to be against stem-cell research
What side do you agree with?
Same Sex Marriage and Civil Rights Laws
Democrats
 Tend to support the right for same-sex couples
to
Republicans
 Tend to
right for same-sex couples to marry
the
What side do you agree with?
Education
Democrats
 Oppose using
for school choice (vouchers and charters)
Republicans
 Favor using tax money for school choice
(vouchers and charters)
What side do you agree with?
Immigration
Democrats
 Favor

immigration
Some favor “Amnesty” for illegals already in the
country
Republicans
 Favor
laws
 Some favor
or
for illegals
already in the country
What side do you agree with?
immigration
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