Warm-Ups (10/12/07) Create Unit IV Cover Page Title: Political Parties, Nominations, & Elections Chapters: 5-7 Don’t forget Pictures Goes on the RIGHT SIDE – after the Unit III Review

Chapter 5 Political Parties

5.1 – Parties & What They Do What is a Political Party? A group of persons who seek to control government through the winning of elections and the holding of public office Major Parties: Republican & Democratic Parties

Parties & What They Do Political Party Functions Nominating Candidates Informing & Activating Supporters “Bonding Agent”: Insurance on a good performance of its candidates/officeholders Governing: Most officials are chosen for their party – allegiance to a political party is the basis for government action Acting as “Watchdog”

5.2 – The Two-Party System Why a Two-Party System? Historical Basis (1 st Political Parties: Federalists v. Anti-Federalists) The Force of Tradition: Americans accept the idea of a two-party system simply b/c there has always been one

The Two-Party System The Electoral System Promotes the existence of only two parties Winner-take-all elections (Plurality: candidate with the largest number of votes wins, not majority) Bipartisan: 2 parties work together to find a common ground The American Ideological Consensus Pluralistic Society: one consisting of several cultures and groups Consensus: a general agreement among various groups Both major parties are very much alike – moderate or “middle of the road”

The Two Party System Other Political Systems Multiparty System: when several major/minor parties compete for public offices Don’t always produce a broader, more diverse representation of the population One-Party System “no party” system - dictatorship

5.3 – The Two-Party System in American History The Nation’s 1 st Parties Federalist v. Anti-Federalists: formed from the debate over the ratification of the Constitution Anti-Federalists later become Jeffersonian Republicans, Democratic Republicans, and then the Democratic Party

Two-Party System in American History American Parties: Four Major Eras The Era of the Democrats, How they came to power: Thomas Jefferson defeated the Federalists (never return) Who led the party: Thomas Jefferson Why they lost power: Slavery – This issue split the Democratic Party, allowing the Republicans to win

Two-Party System in American History The Era of the Republicans, How they came to power: The Civil War/Lincoln’s Election Who led the party: Abraham Lincoln Why they lost power: Former President Teddy Roosevelt was denied the nomination of the Republican Party. He formed the “Bull Moose” Progressive Party. This divided the Republican Party, allowing the Democrats to win the election

Two-Party System in American History The Return of the Democrats, How they came to power: The Great Depression Who led the Party: Franklin D. Roosevelt Why they lost power: Democratic Party was torn apart by conflicts over the war in Vietnam, civil rights, and a variety of social welfare issues Era of Divided Government, 1968-Present Republicans have won 6 of 9 Presidential Elections Democrats have controlled Congress over much of the current period

5.4 – The Minor Parties Types of Third Parties Ideological Parties: based on a particular set of beliefs (Ex. Socialist Party) Single-Issue Parties: concentrates on only one public-policy matter (Ex. “Know- Nothing” Party – anti-immigration or Prohibition Party) Economic Protest Parties: rooted in periods of economic discontent (Ex. Populist Party – appealed to struggling farmers) Splinter Parties: those that have split away from one of the major parties (Ex. “Bull Moose” Progressive Party)

The Minor Parties Role of Third Parties “Spoiler Role”: It can pull votes form one of the major parties (allowing them not to win a majority) Draw attention to issues that major parties prefer to ignore Examples: Green Party, Constitution Party, & Reform Party

5.5 – Party Organization Future of Political Parties Most people see Political Parties as “necessary evils” Why has there been a decline in political parties? Drop in number of voters who will identify themselves as one party – Many people identify as an “Independent” Split-Ticket Voting: voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election Changes in technology allow the candidates to speak directly to the voters (Ex. YouTube) Growth of single-issue organizations

Cool-Down (03/07) This is a UNIT IV Warm-Up After watching the clip… What comment do you think the artists were trying to make about Third Parties?