Roots of Our Two Party System “I adore political parties. They are the only place left to us where people don't talk politics.” -  Oscar Wilde Unit 3 AP Government and Politics Roots of Our Two Party System Homework: Assignment 2 for tomorrow Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and both are right. - HL Mencken

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FrontPage: What makes a political party different from other groups? The Last Word: Assignment 2 due tomorrow

FrontPage: What makes a political party different from other groups? The Last Word: Assignment 2 due tomorrow

Political Parties What is a political party? Group primarily focused on nominating and electing candidates, and controlling government 3 “arenas” in which parties operate With/among the electorate – as a label Are they today, weaker or stronger? Party activists and organizers – as an organization In making policies - governing

Political Parties Reforms that have made parties weaker: Australian ballot – uniform, secret ballot printed by gov. Patronage no longer pervasive Rise of PACs, 527 and others; parties no longer only group that can raise $$ Info on candidates more readily available, parties are not only source More voters identify themselves as independents

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The Four Party Periods The Founding The Jacksonian Period Founding to 1820s Critical election = 1800 The Jacksonian Period 1820s to Civil War Critical election = 1828 The “Golden Age” Civil War to 1930s Critical election = 1860 The Modern Era (Reform) 1930s to ??? Critical election = 1932

The Founding – 1800 - 1828 The Founding What were the two earliest parties based on? How did the election of 1800 essentially signal the beginning of the end of this period? How did the parties represent heterogeneous economic and regional interests?

The Jacksonian Period – 1828 - 1860 How was this a “democratization of democracy?” Voting, nominating candidates, electors Political party influence Decreased at the nat’l level Increased at the state level due to expansion of the electorate What 2 parties emerged after the election of 1828? Whigs and Democrats Gave the US the first broadly-supported two-party system

The “Golden Age” 1860 - 1932 The Civil War and Aftermath How did slavery affect the election of 1860? Democrats, Whigs (Constitutional Union), Republicans What was the result of the election? Party Stability Characterized by the dominance of party organizations Era from end of Reconstruction until reforms of the Progressive Era Political Machines Organizations that use tangible incentives such as jobs and favors to win loyalty among voters Provided upward social mobility

The Modern Era 1932 – ??? Changes in the Influence of Parties Elections and social services changes Ballot printing, other elections duties handled by government instead of parties Roosevelt’s New Deal put social services in hands of government, not parties Candidate-centered politics Shift to focus on candidates, their issues and character rather than on party affiliation These, and other reforms, have helped to weaken the overall influence of parties Following the Golden Age came the Modern Era. For about 30 years, between 1900 and the 1930s, the government took over a number of important roles that had been handled by the parties, such as printing ballots, conducting elections, and providing social supports. These changes weakened party loyalty and strength. Beginning with President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, people began to see social services as a right rather than as a payback for party loyalty. This weakening of the parties also led to more candidate-centered politics and elections, in which the focus was on individual candidates, their particular issues and character, rather than party affiliation.

The election of 1932 What triggered this “realigning election”? Who comprised the New Deal coalition?

Citizen Support and Party Realignment 11.1 Party realignments Dramatic shifts in partisan preference that drastically alter the political landscape Existing party affiliations subject to upheaval Critical elections May polarize voters around new issues or personalities Secular realignments More gradual shifts in party coalitions The type of stability observed in the Golden Age, and for a time beyond, generally won’t last forever, and voters will begin showing dramatic shifts in their beliefs. During such party realignments, existing party affiliations experience upheaval as voters may change parties. Before such shifts, historians may observe one or more critical elections that may polarize voters in reaction to developments such as war or an economic depression. Several such shifts have already occurred in American politics: Thomas Jefferson formed the Democratic-Republican party to opposed the Federalists, the Whig Party dissolved and the Republican Party gained strength over the issue of slavery, and voters turned away from Republicans in favor of Democrats in response to the New Deal. More gradual shifts in party coalitions are called secular realignments, and they may be caused by the shrinking of a party’s base of support.

Critical or Realigning Elections What is a “critical” or “realigning” election? sharp changes in issues, party leaders, the regional and demographic bases of power of the two parties, and structure or rules of the political system (such as voter eligibility or financing), resulting in a new political power structure that lasts for decades. The 1800 Election – Begins the initial “fading” period of parties –Dem/Republicans victorious The 1828 Election – Begins the Jacksonian period The 1860 Election – Republican party emerges; Whigs disappear The 1896 Election – Bryan and Democrats lose; new Republicans solidify Shores up the parties in certain regions of the US The 1932 Election – Emergence of the “New Deal Coalition” Labor unions, intellectuals, farmers, seniors, white southerners, Jews, Catholics, and minorities . The 1968 Election - Fracturing of the New Deal Democratic Coalition

What does a critical election look like?

The 2012 Election Was it a critical, or realigning election? 2016? What had to happen? 2016?