Development of American Political Parties

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Chapter 9.1

• Development of American Political Parties

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The Two-Party System

• A political party is an association of voters
  with broad common interests who want to influence
  or control decision making in govt by electing
  the partys candidates to public office. Parties
  pick candidates who agree with their beliefs and
  try to persuade voters to support those
  candidates.

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continued

• 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.

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continued

• Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton disagreed
  strongly about how the govt should operate.
  Hamilton wanted a strong national govt and a
  strong president. Jefferson wanted less power
  for the national govt and more for state govts.
  Two rival political groups formed around these
  two leaders.

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continued

• Jeffersons group was called the
  Democratic-Republican Party. In 1828, the party
  split, and the new leader Andrew Jackson aligned
  with the Democratic Party. Jeffersons party
  grew stronger. Hamiltons group, the Federalist
  Party, faded away.
• The Whigs (National Republicans) rose in 1830 and
  the Whigs and Democrats remained the two major
  parties until the 1850s.

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• The 1854 breakaway Democrats and Whigs who
  opposed slavery formed the Republican Party. The
  Whigs lost support. Abraham Lincoln became the
  first Republican president in 1860. Since then,
  Republicans and Democrats have been our two major
  parties.

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Third Parties

• Third parties sometimes challenge the two major
  parties. A third party has never won a
  presidential election and rarely wins other major
  elections. Third parties can influence the
  outcome of elections and may influence policy.

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continued

• Farmers and laborers formed the Populists in the
  1890s. They called for the direct election of
  senators and an eight-hour working day. They did
  not win, but the two major parties adopted many
  of their ideas.

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• In 1912, former Republican president Theodore
  Roosevelt ran for president for the Progressives,
  or Bull Moose Party. He won enough votes away
  from the Republican candidate, William Howard
  Taft, that Democrat Woodrow Wilson won the
  election.

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continued

• 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.

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• Ideological parties focus on changing society in
  major ways. The Socialist Labor Party and
  Communist Party favor govt ownership. The
  Libertarian Party wants more individual freedom.
  The Green Party opposes the power of corporations.

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• Some third parties form around well-known
  individuals who cannot get support from a major
  party. Such parties fade after their candidates
  defeat.

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continued

• Republican and Democratic candidates are
  automatically placed on the ballot in many
  states. Third-party candidates must obtain a
  large number of signatures to get on the ballot.

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• Usually only one candidate can win a district.
  Most voters favor a major party.
• Third parties have trouble raising enough money
  to compete with the major parties.

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Other Party Systems

• Political parties exist in most countries, but
  two-party systems are rare.
• Most democracies have multiparty systems. One
  party rarely wins enough support to control the
  govt, so several parties must work together.
  Competing interests can create a politically
  unstable situation.

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continued

• In a one-party system, the govt and party are
  nearly the same thing. In the Peoples Republic
  of China, only the Communist Party is allowed to
  exist. A one-party system is not a democracy.
  There are no rival candidates in the elections.
• One-party systems also exist in some
  non-Communist nations. Muslim leaders control
  Irans Islamic Republican Party. Other parties
  are outlawed or inactive.

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Todays Major Parties

• Competing political parties give voters a choice
  among candidates and ideas.
• The major parties differ mainly in their belief
  about how much the govt should be involved in
  the lives of Americans.

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continued

• Democrats tend to believe that the federal govt
  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. They believe in less regulation.

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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
  extremes. The parties are also similar because
  the American people generally agree about many
  issues.

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continued

• A platform is a series of statements expressing
  the partys 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.