The French and Indian War

Political Parties Chapter 10

Mr. FerroUS History

Being an AmericanLesson 1Essential Questions:How do citizens, both individually and collectively, influence government policy?

It Matters Because:Political parties are one of the major ways citizens participate in the political process and influence the direction of government.

Growth of American PartiesGuiding Question: Why did political parties develop?Political party- is a group of people with broad, shared interestsSome Americans join a political party to share ideas with others who feel as they doVoters who want to influence or control decision making in governmentThey have influence by electing the partys candidate to public office Two-party-system- a system of government in which two political parties compete for power

The First Parties The United States Constitution does not mention political partiesBy the 1790s two groups had formed to compete for political partiesPeople had different ideas about what government should be How much power should the federal government have?

Thomas JeffersonSecretary of StateWanted to protect peoples rights by limiting the power of the national governmentMore power for the states Closer to the peopleJefferson and his supporters started the Democratic-Republican partyThis party grew stronger

Alexander Hamilton Secretary of TreasuryIf the federal government was too weak individuals rights would be in dangerFavored a strong national governmentStrong central government was needed to have a healthy economy Hamilton and his supporters started the Federalists partySoon faded away

Todays Major Parties By 1824, the Democratic-Republican party was very dominant4 candidates ran for president in the same partyJohn Quincy Adams defeated Andrew JacksonTensions between the two candidates and their supporters remainedSectional differences among North, South and West increased the tensionBy 1828, the Democratic-Republican party had split

Andrew JacksonSupporters- called themselves the Democratic Party Stressed ties to common peopleSame as the Democratic party of today

Opponents- called themselves the National RepublicansFaded away quickly The Whig party took their place (until 1850s)Proposed internal improvements such as roads and canalsAvoided the issue of slavery

Evolution of American Political Parties

PARTYDATES OF EXISTENCE DESCRIPTION Federalists1790s-1820Favored a strong central governmentDemocratic-Republican 1790s-1828Formed to oppose Federalists; favored state over national governmentNational Republican 1825-1834Split from Democratic-Republicans to oppose Andrew Jackson and work for strong central governmentDemocratic1825-PresentFormed from Democratic-Republicans; supported Andrew Jackson; said it supported common peopleWhig1834-1854Formed from National Republicans and others; favored internal improvements Republican 1854-Present Formed from Whigs and other groups; opposed spread of slavery to new territories and favored internal improvementsRepublican Party1854 people who opposed slavery joined together to form the Republican partyAbolish slavery in the SouthOthers didnt want slavery in the new territoriesAs the slavery issue became more important, the Whig party dissolvedThe republicans dominated national politics for about 75 years after the Civil WarDemocrats served as president only 16 of the 75 yearsThe Great Depression changed the balance to democrats favor , 28 of the ne3xt 36 years Since 1968 Republicans have won 7 times and Democrats on 4 times

Third Parties Guiding Question- What is the importance of third parties in American politics?Third Party- a political party that challenges the two major parties There have been many third parties throughout U.S. history No widespread support from voters They promoted ideas that were unpopular at firstPopular Party from the 1890s called for Senators to be elected by voters. Progressive Party of the early 1900s, worked to give voters a more direct role in governmentTypes of Third Parties Single-issue political parties They promote a particular causeProhibition Party (1872)-main purpose was to ban the sale of alcohol They usually fade away, when the issue looses importanceParties formed because of ideology, and beliefs about governmentCommunist Party USAThey believe government should own all resources and business

Types of Third Parties (continued)Other third parties unite around and independent leader with strong personalities Ross Perot- ran in 1992 as an independent Founded the Reform party, ran again in 1996Reform party is very weak nowThird parties have to collect signatures from many voters to appear on the ballot They have a hard time raising money and compete against the two big parties

Other Party Systems Political parties exist in most countriesThe role they play differs in every countryMany have multi-party systemsCanada 3 partiesFrance more than 8Israel more than 20Hard for one party to gain control of the governmentParties join forces and work togetherSome nations have only a one party systemChina- only has the Communist PartyNo rival candidates are allowed to runElection is mainly for showNot a democratic government

Party Differences Guiding Question How do Americans major modern political parties differ?They differ in how much the government should be involved in the economy and in citizens livesDemocrats The federal government should be more involved in regulating the economyProvide housing, income, education, jobs for the poorThey are stronger in the Northeast and West coastRepublicansFavor less government regulation of the economy as the best way to promote prosperityStronger in the South

Things in Common Both parties try to adopt a moderate (down the middle) viewsAppeal to as many voters as possible

Both believe economic growth is the best way to deal with unemployment

Both are national partiesThey have candidates throughout the country

Platform- a series of statements expressing a partys:Principles, beliefs, and positions on elections issues Political Parties TodayLesson 2Essential Question: How do citizens, both individually and collectively influence government policy?

It matters Because:Understanding how political parties work helps citizens as they follow campaigns and select candidates they wish to support.

Organization of Political PartiesGuiding Question: How are political parties organized?

National Organization and Convention Each party has a National Committee Representatives from the 50 state party organization who run a political partyLed by a national chairpersonRaise money for presidential electionOrganize the partys national convention

ConventionsAt the convention the delegates choose the partys candidates for:President and Vice PresidentDelegates are chosen through:Presidential primary election Caucus-special meetingConventions use to be suspenseful events Now its just a formalityConventions are good for building party unityLaunches the election campaignMajor parties also have campaign committees for candidates for CongressRaise moneyGive advice and support to candidates

State and Local Organizations The 50 state committees work to elect party candidates to state offices Governor, state legislator, and othersNational offices- Senate, House of RepresentativesLocal level- thousands of city, town, and county committeesCounty chairperson has a lot of power

Precincts Each city or county is divided into election districts called precincts. Precinct- a geographic area that contains a specific number of votersCould be an entire town or a group of neighborhoods in a large cityEach precinct appoints a captainRegister voters Organize volunteers Distribute leaflets

Organization of Political PartiesNational Chairperson National CommitteeNational ConvelntionState ChairpersonCongressional Campaign Committee

Senatorial Campaign CommitteeState CommitteeLocal ChairpersonCity, Town, or County CommittePrecint Captain Precinct Workers Political Machines Political machines- a strong party organization that can control political appointments and deliver votesStrong political organizations Their candidates tend to win electionThey tend to be in power too longTendency to become corrupt

Becoming Involved in a Political PartyYou dont have to join a political party to voteParties offer citizens a great way to participate in politics Political parties try to attract as many members as possible Members can do volunteer workMake phone calls, help register voters, help with fund raising

Selecting Party Candidates Guiding Question: how do political parties nominate candidates?

Citizens can run for almost any public officeThe major job of political parties is to choose or nominate candidates for office

Direct Primary- an election in which voters choose candidates to represent each political party in a general electionTypes of Primaries ElectionsTwo forms of direct primary: closed and openClosed Primary- an election in which only the declared members of a political party are allowed to vote for that partys nominees

Open Primary- an election in which voters need not declare their party preference

Winning a PrimaryThe winner is the one with a plurality of votesPlurality- most votes, even if less than 50%Some states require a majority of votes Candidate must get more than 50%If there is no majority, there is a runoff vote (2nd primary)Runoff between the two candidates with the most votes

Officeholder Most offices have only one officeholderMayor, district representativeSometimes more than one type of position is vacant Several city council membersThe party can nominate more than one candidateThird party nominees have to file a petition Then they have to collect enough signatures

Other Political Party FunctionsGuiding Question- What other roles do political parties play?The main role of political parties is to elect candidates to office.Support Candidates Helps win elections, volunteers, raise money, register voterCommunicate with citizensSpeeches, printed materials adds, listen to citizensRun the governmentCongress and state legislatures are organized based on party membershipSupport party positions on billsAt every level, appoint people to fill certain position

Other Political Party FunctionsThe main role of political parties is to elect candidates to office.Link Levels of governmentPolitical parties help officials at different levels of government work together If they are from the same party, they are likely to work together

Acting as a watchdogIf one party loses power in the election, you keep check on the other partyMake sure they dont misuse their power The party out of power is referred to as the opposition party