Types of Minor Parties in the United States Farm-Labor Protest Parties Bolter or “Factional” Parties Ideological Parties One-Issue Parties

1787: United States Constitution is drafted in Philadelphia, and makes no mention of political parties.

1796: Worried that political factions will turn into political parties, George Washington says "Let me warn you, in the most solemn manner, against the baneful effects of the spirit of party."

1854: In the North, anti-slavery activists from all parties begin meeting. The Republican Party is born in Ripon, Wisconsin, on March 20th, following a meeting of Whigs, Free Soilers, and Democrats.

1860: Lincoln wins the election with 39 1860: Lincoln wins the election with 39.9 percent of the popular vote, the smallest percentage ever to propel a candidate into the White House.

1890: Dozens of small parties spring up, each with a program of change, including the Prohibition Party, the Greenback Labor Party, the Union Labor Party, and the Socialist Party.

1892: Farmers angry with the major parties launch their own party, the People's Party, also called the Populists. Their presidential candidate, James B. Weaver, captures 9 percent of the vote.

Farm-Labor Parties “Economic Protest”                                                                                Populist Party Candiate 1896

Bolter or “Factional” Parties “Bolt” the Ticket and Challenge Former Party

“Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible “Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible. I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose. But fortunately I had my manuscript, so you see I was going to make a long speech, and there is a bullet - there is where the bullet went through - and it probably saved me from it going into my heart. The bullet is in me now, so that I cannot make a very long speech, but I will try my best.” * Address at Milwaukee, Wis., October, 14, 1912.

“Bolt” the Ticket and Challenge Former Party 1912 The Winner

1912: With the Republican and Bull Moose Party splitting the vote, Democrat Woodrow Wilson is elected president with 42 percent. A fourth candidate, Socialist Eugene Debs, gets 6 percent.

Ideological Protest Parties Ideological Parties care less about winning and more about principle! Hence, they tend to endure.

“As soon as a child is less than half matured he is given a job and thrust out into the world to help make a living for the family, the father of which is not paid enough to support it properly,” Debs said — nay, shouted. “Then, too, child labor is cheapest of the cheap and so the capitalists favor it. We now have 2,000,000 children in our industrial dungeons. Their flesh is fed to Mammon. They are the victims of insatiate monsters, and they are dwarfed, stunted, and deformed.” -Canton, OH (1910)

During the Great War, Debs was a highly visible and vocal pacifist During the Great War, Debs was a highly visible and vocal pacifist. On June 16 of 1918 he delivered a famous antiwar speech in Canton, Ohio. He protested against the Great War, which was raging in Europe. He was arrested because of the speech and convicted in a federal court in Cleveland, OH under the wartime Espionage Act. He was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison and disenfranchised for life.

“We are fighting a Wall Street war, the master class throughout history has declared wars and the subject class has fought them. When Wall Street cries war, every pulpit in the country cries war; when Wall Street cries peace, every pulpit cries peace.” -Canton, OH (June 16, 1918)

                                   “While there is a lower class I am in it; while there is a criminal element I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free”

“Rising Tide of Socialism” 1910- Victor Berger, 1st Socialist elected to Congress 1911- 73 Socialist Mayors elected 1911- 1,200 elections won by Socialists in 340 cities

1948: three presidential candidates with roots in the Democratic Party face just one Republican, Thomas Dewey. Truman carries the day with 49.6 percent of the popular vote.

One-Issue Parties Formed to promote one principle. The Free-Soil Party for example. Natural Law Party “OOMMM”

2000 208 Votes for Earl Dodge

1992 Election