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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONHow do citizens, both individually and collectively, influence government policy?

GUIDING QUESTIONS1. Why did political parties develop in

the United States?

2. What is the importance of third parties in American politics?

3. How do America’s major modern political parties differ?

Terms to Know political party a group of voters with common interests who want to influence decision making in government by electing the party's candidates to public office two-party system a system of government in which two political parties try to win powerstress to give special importance tothird party a political party that challenges the two major partiespromote to advance a cause or ideaplatform a series of statements that state a party’s beliefs and positions on election issues

Lesson 1: History of Political Parties

What Do You Know?In the first column, answer the questions based on what you know before you study. After this lesson, complete the last column.

Now... Later...

Why do we need political parties?

How are the political parties different?

Growth of American PartiesA political party is a group of people with general common interests about government. They work together to help the candidates they support win elections. They also try to help shape government policy. The United States has a two-party system. The names and makeup of the two main parties have changed over the years. Today’s major parties are the Democratic and the Republican parties.

The Constitution did not mention political parties. Still, political parties have been around for a long time. Not all of the Founders wanted them, however. They were afraid that political parties would divide and weaken the new nation. Despite this, by the late 1790s, political parties formed because people had different ideas about what the government should do.

Political Parties

Identifying1. What are the names

of the two major parties in the United States today?

Mark the Text2. Underline in the text

the reason why political parties formed.

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Sequencing3. Use the time line to

help you see how America’s early political parties developed. As you read the material, place the correct dates next to the events shown on the time line.

Listing4. What were the two

major American political parties until the 1850s?

Reading Check

5. How did Federalists view the power of the national government?

Identifying6. Who formed the

Republican party?

Lesson 1: History of Political Parties, Continued

Formation of Early Political Parties

The first political parties formed in the late 1790s. Alexander Hamilton was the Secretary of the Treasury. He thought that the national government should have most of the power. He believed that the national government needed to be strong to protect people’s rights. People who agreed with Hamilton’s ideas formed the Federalist Party.

Thomas Jefferson was the Secretary of State. He thought that state governments should have most of the power in order to protect people's rights. Those who agreed with Jefferson’s ideas formed the Democratic-Republican Party. Slowly Jefferson’s party grew stronger and Hamilton’s party grew weaker. Soon, the Federalist Party was gone.

In 1828, the Democratic-Republicans split into two parties. People who supported Andrew Jackson for president called themselves the Democratic Party. They used that name because they wanted to stress their connection to the common people. Those who opposed Jackson were called the National Republicans. The National Republican Party did not last long.

The Whig Party was the main competition of the Democratic Party. The Whigs and the Democrats were the two major parties in the United States until the 1850s. They tried to avoid the issue of slavery. The Whig Party broke up when slavery became a major political issue.

In 1854, people who were against slavery got together to form a new party. They named it the Republican Party. Some Republicans believed slavery should be abolished in Southern states. Others did not agree, but they did believe that slavery should not spread to the territories controlled by the U.S. government.

1790 1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850 1860

____ ___Federalist and Democratic Republican parties form

_______Republican Party forms

_______Democratic Republican Party splits into Democratic and Whig parties

Political Parties

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Third Parties Sometimes small parties form to compete with the Democratic and Republican parties. These parties are called third parties. They usually do not get much support from voters, but they often make people aware of special issues. Some of those issues later become important to the major parties. Third parties form for many reasons.

Third parties form:

• to promote ideas that are new or unpopular with the major parties.

• to support a single issue.

• to promote their beliefs about government.

• to support an independent candidate.

The following chart shows roles third parties have played.

Name of Party Reason Influence on America

Populist Party Year - 1892

promote ideas

Organized by farmers and laborers who wanted the direct election of senators and eight-hour work day

Progressive Party Year - 1952

promote ideas

Wanted a direct primary election to give people more power in selecting general election candidates

Prohibitionist PartyYear - 1920

single issue

Wanted to outlaw the sale of alcohol

Communist Party USAYear - 1919

beliefs Wants more government and worker ownership of all resources and businesses

Tea PartyYear - 2009

beliefs Opposes Democrats and Republicans; does not want any government control over business

Green Party Year - 2000

single issue

Wants more attention put on the environment

Third parties usually lose major elections. There are many reasons for this. Candidates from the major parties get their names put on the general election ballot automatically. Third-party candidates have to get on the ballot by petition. A petition is a long process of collecting a large number of signatures from voters.

Political Parties

Vocabulary 7. What are third

parties?

Comparing8. Study the chart.

What do the Prohibitionist Party and the Green Party have in common?

Identifying9. In the chart, who

organized the Populist Party? Why?

Listing10. List three reasons

why third parties do not win national elections.

Lesson 1: History of Political Parties , Continued

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Check for Understanding List the two political parties that developed in

America in the 1790s.

1. 2.

Name two reasons people form third parties.

3.

4.

Third parties usually do not have very much money. They usually do not have strong networks. Networks are groups of people who work together. The major parties have strong local, state, and national networks.

Most countries have political parties, but not two-party systems. Many democracies have multiparty systems. Countries with multiparty systems might have three or more major parties competing for power. Canada has three major parties. Germany has five major parties. Israel has more than 20 major parties. The People’s Republic of China only has one political party.

Party DifferencesThe Democrats and the Republicans both want to win as many elections as they can. They avoid taking extreme positions on most issues because most Americans are political moderates and generally agree on many social and political issues. So the parties also take moderate positions. Moderate means being opposed to major social changes or making changes too quickly. One major difference between the two parties is over how much the government should be involved in people’s lives. Democrats think that government should help fix society’s problems. Republicans think that government should not get involved in fixing those problems. Both parties think that economic growth will give poor people a better chance to find jobs on their own.

One way to find out what each party believes about an issue is to read the party platform. The platform is written for each party’s national convention. The convention is held every four years. The platform gives the party’s posi tions on important issues. It also states the party’s basic beliefs. Each party also chooses its candidates for president and vice president at the convention.

Reading Check

11. Name three types of third parties and explain why they form.

Mark the Text12. Underline the text

that describes a platform.

Reading Check

13. Why do the two major parties often seem similar?

14. Place a three-tab

Foldable along the line. Label the tabs Democrats, Republicans, and Third Parties. List facts about each on the reverse tabs.

Lesson 1: History of Political Parties, Continued

Political Parties

Glue Foldable here

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Political Parties

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONHow do citizens, both individually and collectively, influence government policy?

GUIDING QUESTIONS1. How are political parties organized?

2. How do political parties nominate candidates?

3. What other roles do political parties play?

Terms to Know national committee Representatives from the 50 state party organiztions who run a political partycaucus meeting of political party members to conduct party businessprecinct a geographic area that contains a specific number of votersadjacent located next topolitical machine a strong party organization that controls political decisons direct primary election in which voters choose candidates to run in a general electionclosed primary election in which only members of a political party can voteopen primary election in which voters do not have to state their party preferenceplurality the most votes among those running for office majority a number that is more than 50% of the total

What Do You Know?In the first column, answer the questions based on what you know before you study. After this lesson, complete the last column.

Now... Later...

How do political parties work?

How do candidates get nominated?

Lesson 2: Political Parties Today

Organization of Political PartiesPolitical parties have local, state, and national organizations. A national committee is in charge of each party. This committee includes people from every state. These people are called representatives, or delegates. The committee’s most important job is to organize the national convention. The convention happens once every four years. Delegates at the convention choose the party’s candidates for president and vice president. The delegates to the convention are chosen through presidential primary elections or by caucuses (KAW•kuhs•uhz). Caucuses are special meetings of state and local party organizations.

Explaining1. Who makes up a

national committee?



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Vocabulary2. Define the terms: caucus

precinct

3. Place a two-tab Foldable along the line. Write Political Party Organizations on the anchor tab. Label the tabs National and State, County, Local. On the reverse tabs describe what the organizations do.

Reading Check

4. How do higher-level party leaders depend on precinct leaders?

Critical Thinking

5. Why could a political machine in a county be dangerous?

Lesson 2: Political Parties Today, Continued

The convention is an important time to build party unity. It also starts the election campaign.

The major parties also have campaign committees for the candidates running for Congress. The committees help raise money for the candidates and give them advice and support.

Each party also has state and local organizations. They choose and help candidates run for state and local offices. They also support their party’s candidates for president and vice president. Cities and counties are divided into small districts, or areas, called precincts (PREE•sihngts ). Precincts are areas that have a certain number of voters. Therefore, a precinct might be a whole town or a group of adjacent neighborhoods in a larger city. Everyone in a precinct votes at the same place. County committees are the largest political units within the state. They are headed by a county chairperson. This person usually has a great deal of political power.

Precincts appoint a captain. The captains build support for the party at the local level. Captains also organize volunteers and register voters. Local leaders also make sure party members vote on Election Day.

Organization of Political Parties

WardP recinct County State National

Sometimes a local party organization becomes too strong and it wins almost every election. Then it is called a political machine. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, political machines ran many cities. At that time, political machines gave immigrants and poor people food and fuel and helped them find jobs. The political machines gained votes by doing this. Unfortunately, some members of political machines hurt the cities. One example of a political machine is Tammany Hall in New York City. Tammany Hall was led by William “Boss” Tweed. They cheated the city by taking bribes (illegal money payments) from people doing business with the city. Today, cities avoid political machines.

Selecting Party CandidatesPolitical parties are important in the government. Political parties are active all the time, but their busiest time is during an election. They nominate, or choose, the candidates who run for public office. Parties generally use primary elections to nominate candidates for office.

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GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT

John Diaz

Republican Party

Janet Jones

Democratic Party

Jackie SmithGreen Party

Political Parties

Defining6. What does it mean

to nominate someone to a political office?

Prior Knowledge

7. What are the two major political parties in the United States?

Reading Check

8. What is the difference between an open and a closed primary?

Listing9. What are two ways

that political parties help government?

The chart above describes the different ways that candidates get on the ballot for the general election.

The candidate who wins the primary is the one who gets a plurality, or the most votes. A candidate with the most votes wins even if his or her share is less than 50 percent of the total votes.

In a few states, the winner must have a majority. This means the winner must get more than 50 percent of the total votes. Sometimes no candidate gets a majority. Then the party holds another primary called a runoff. The winner becomes the party’s candidate in the general election.

Most offices have only one officeholder; for example, there is only one mayor in a city. Sometimes more than one type of position is vacant, or empty, in the same election. For example, a city might have many council members. In this case, the party can nominate more than one candidate. The party chooses the top vote-getters in the primary.

Other Political Party FunctionsPolitical parties do more than get candidates elected. They help citizens practice self-government. This means they help people communicate with the government. Political parties also make sure government listens to the people.

Closed Primary

Voters have to choose a party in order to vote for that party’s nominees.

Open Primary

Voters do not need to choose a party in order to vote for the party’s nominees.

Petition

Candidates who are not members of either major party make a petition. They must have a certain number of voter signatures to get their name on the general election ballot.




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Political parties also:

• support candidates . They help raise money for the campaigns. They also register citizens to vote and make sure supporters get to the polls on Election Day.

• run different parts of the government. Congress and most state legislatures are organized by party. Leaders make sure that all the lawmakers in the party support the party position when making laws.

• link different parts of the government. Political parties make it easier for different levels of government to work together. Senators, governors, and others who are members of a major party usually know each other. This makes it easier for them to work together to solve problems.

• act as a watchdog for citizens. Between elections one party is out of power. This is the party that lost the elections. It is often called the opposition party. The opposition party acts as a watchdog over the party in power. It gives a voice to people who disagree with the party in power. This makes sure the party in power listens to all views.

Explaining10. What do political

parties do to help people vote?

Critical Thinking

11. Why do you think it is important for political parties to act as watchdogs?

Reading Check

12. How do political parties help the American people practice self-government?

13. Place a one-tab Foldable on the line. Write The Importance of Political Parties on the front. On the back, write a paragraph about why political parties are important.

GovernmentPolitical parties tell government about citizens’ concerns.

CitizensPolitical parties tell citizens what the issues are and what government is doing.

Check for UnderstandingName three ways that national political parties

are broken down into smaller groups.

1. 2.

3.

List two ways that a candidate can be nominated to run for office.

4.

5.

Glue Foldable here

Political parties




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