“Political Parties”

Development of Political Parties A political party is an association of voters with broad, common interests who want to influence or control decision making in government by electing the party’s candidates to public office Nonpartisan: Candidates DO NOT declare themselves to be members of parties.

Development of Political Parties Parties pick candidates who agree with their beliefs and try to persuade voters to support their candidates for running for office The United States has had its current two-party system since 1860.

Roots of the Two-Party System Despite President Washington’s warning, two rival political groups were formed shortly after he was elected. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton were the leaders of these groups.

Democratic Party Thomas Jefferson wanted less power for the national government and more power for the state governments, which he felt were closer to the citizens. Those who agreed with Jefferson made up the Democratic – Republican Party which was later renamed the Democratic Party

Republican Party Alexander Hamilton wanted a strong national government and a strong President. He felt that if the government was too weak, individual rights were at risk. Hamilton’s group was called the Federalist Party, which became the Whig Party, and eventually evolved into the modern day Republican Party.

Third Parties Although they sometimes challenge the two major parties, a Third Party has never won a Presidential election and has rarely won any other major elections.

Third Parties Third Parties, however, can affect the outcome of elections; as well, they may influence government and social policy. Some Third Parties arise to promote a social, economic, and moral issue.

Types of Third Parties Single – issue parties fade when the issue loses importance or a major party adopts that issue. Ie. The Prohibitionist Party pushed for laws against the sale of alcohol.

Types of Third Parties Ideological parties focus on changing society in major ways Examples: The Green Party opposes the power of corporations and favors decision-making at the grassroots level. The Libertarian Party would like to increase individual freedoms by cutting the size of the U.S. government.

Third Parties Third Parties rarely win major elections because of the two-party tradition. While the names of Republican and Democratic candidates are automatically placed on the ballot, Third-Party candidates must obtain a large number of signatures to get on the ballot. Why might a Republican or Democratic candidate be opposed to a 3rd party candidate?

Today’s Major Parties Competing political parties give voters a choice among candidates and ideas. A basic difference between the major parties is their belief in how much the government should be involved in the lives of Americans

Today’s Major Parties Democrats tend to believe that the federal government should be more directly involved in regulating the economy and in providing housing, income, education, and jobs for the less fortunate. Democrats = Liberal

Why a Donkey? After being labeled a “donkey” Andrew Jackson decided to use the image of the strong-willed animal on his campaign posters for the Presidential Election of Later, cartoonist Thomas Nast used the Democratic donkey in newspaper cartoons and made the symbol famous. Democrats today say the donkey is smart and brave

Today’s Major Parties Republicans tend to believe that if they help the nation’s economy grow, the less fortunate people will have a better chance of finding jobs on their own. They favor less government regulation of the economy as the best way to promote growth of production. Republicans = Conservative

Why an Elephant? Nast invented another famous symbol—the Republican elephant. In a cartoon that appeared in Harper's Weekly in 1874, Nast drew a donkey clothed in lion's skin, scaring away all the animals at the zoo. One of those animals, the elephant, was labeled “The Republican Vote.” That's all it took for the elephant to become associated with the Republican Party. Republicans of today say the elephant is strong and dignified.

Today’s Major Parties Democrats tend to lean more liberal whereas Republicans are more conservative. Democrats and Republicans most often differ in their believes on the role of the government.

Party Platforms To know where a party stands on the major issues, the voters can look at the party’s platform.

Party Platforms A platform is a series of statements expressing the party’s principles, beliefs, and positions on issues. Each individual part of a platform is called a plank. The platform communicates to voters what the party plans to do if it wins.