American Political Parties Lesson

Citizens of the United States have a responsibility to their country. Part of this responsibility is to be knowledgeable of the various political issues facing American society. In this lesson, we will learn about the history of political parties, types of party systems, third parties and their effects on politics, the organization of political parties, and how party candidates are elected to office.

History of Political Parties

Famous painting depicting George Washington In his Farewell Address in 1797, George Washington warned against the formation of political parties. To Washington, political parties were a deep threat to the health of the nation, for they allowed "a small but artful and enterprising minority" to "put in the place of the delegated will of the Nation, the will of a party."

The roots of political parties had already been well-grounded even before George Washington left office. During the Constitutional Convention, supporters of the Constitution called themselves Federalists. Federalists were those in favor of ratification and thought there was a need for a strong central government. Anti-Federalists were those that were against ratifying the Constitution. They believed the national government would become too powerful.

As President, George Washington's administration was primarily made-up of Federalists. The administration was run by aristocrats, or individuals of wealth who came from a higher social class. The Federalists were led by Alexander Hamilton. The powerful minority of Anti-Federalists, which became known as the Democratic-Republican Party, was led by Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson believed that power should be left in the hands of the states and the common man.

Despite his warning in 1797, President George Washington would be surprised to see how strong and influential political parties have become.

The first indifference occurred between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists when George Washington asked Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, to submit a proposal calling for the establishment of the Bank of the United States. Congress passed the bill, which was signed into a law by the President of the United States. Thomas Jefferson, who was Secretary of State, was against the establishment of the Bank of the United States. He believed that the power to establish banks should be left up to the states and not with the federal government. The indifference created a gap between the two groups that had goals which conflicted with one another. By the mid-1790s, Congress was divided into two major political parties with varying viewpoints.

Image of First Bank

The election of 1796 was the first in American history where political candidates at the local, state, and national level began to run for government offices. This was a new phenomenon that shocked most of the older political leaders. The two parties that ran against each other adopted names that reflected their values. The Federalists of 1796 attached themselves as the supporters of the Constitution and were solid supporters of the federal administration. John Adams became the presidential candidate for the Federalists. The opposition party adopted the name Democratic-Republican, which suggested their supporters were committed to placing government control in the hands of the people. Supporters of the Democratic - Republican Party were drawn from people with diverse ethnicities, including German, Scottish, and Irish backgrounds. Its key leaders were Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Adams ended up narrowly winning the election of 1796 in a 71 to 68 vote. Thomas Jefferson became the vice president.

Over the years, there have been several political parties that have been popular with the electorate for a period of time, including the Whigs and the Populists parties. Since 1860, the Democrats and the Republicans have been the two major political parties.

The establishment of political parties are not outlined or written down in the U.S. Constitution. The House of Representatives and the Senate are both organized around political parties. For example, the party holding the majority of seats controls the election of officers in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, such as Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore.

Today, Congress is divided into two major political parties, Democrats and Republicans, with a few Independent, Green, Libertarian, Constitutional Party, and Tea Party members.

Federalist

Federalist poster, circa 1800. Washington (in heaven) tells partisans to keep the pillars of Federalism, Republicanism and Democracy

U. S. Political Parties

A political party is a group of people with common ideologies who come together to win elections, control government and influence the change in government policies.

Minor Parties

A third party is a term that is used in the United States for any political party other than one of the two major parties, the Democrats and the Republicans. Third parties rarely win elections; therefore, they are known as minor parties. The largest third parties today with over 75,000 followers include: the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Constitution Party.

Political Parties and Platforms
Political Parties:	Platforms:
Republican Party	The Republican Party's foundation is based on free enterprise and capitalism, a strong national military, providing restrictions to labor unions, and traditional beliefs and values. The party is split on the immigration issue.
Democratic Party	The Democratic Party advocates for social and economic equality, and some government regulation in the economy (social programs, labor unions, universal health care, and environmental protection).
Libertarian Party	The Libertarian Party promotes free market enterprise, civil rights and civil liberties, non-government intervention, and laissez faire economics.
Green Party	The Green Party promotes environmental awareness, non-violence, participatory democracy, LGBT rights, feminism rights, social justice, and anti-racism.
Constitution Party	The Constitution Party promotes a direct interpretation of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Also, the party promotes the Bible.

Let's Practice

Click on each item below to learn more.

How Do Third Parties Impact Government?

They bring national focus to an issue such as abortion, immigration, or the death penalty. Third parties force the major parties', Republican and Democratic, candidates to take a side on a particular issue.
Spoilers are third parties that take votes away from the major political parties. The outcome of an election can be directly affected by a third party. For example, Al Gore almost won the 2000 election against Bush if he had not lost votes, that would likely have gone to him, to the third-party candidate, Ralph Nader.
Images of Al Gore and George Bush are below.

Al Gore George W. Bush

Why are Third Parties Not Stronger?

There is a two-party tradition, which means that many people are strongly affiliated with one of the major parties, Republican or Democratic. Many U.S. citizens are unwilling to move away from tradition.
Republican and Democratic candidates are automatically listed on the ballot. Third-Party candidates must collect a large number of signatures from citizens to get on the ballot.
There are single-member districts, which means that only one person wins office no matter the number of candidates that compete for a district. This is a disadvantage to third parties because they have to campaign harder to get their ideas across to supporters. Many people are not as familiar with third-party candidates as they are with major-party candidates.
There is no proportional representation in the United States. This means that the U.S. does not allow more than one candidate to be represented by voters in an area. Only one candidate can win an election.
Because third parties only focus on one issue or idea, they may only appeal to a select group of people. As a result, they may never have enough votes to win an election.

How Are Third Parties Organized?

A political party must have volunteers in order for it to be successful. Volunteers carry out the work-related responsibilities of the parties at the local, state, and national level. In between elections, volunteers carry out the day-to-day functions of the party. At election time, volunteers help candidates win elections.

Membership in a Political Party:

Americans are not required to join, or affiliate with a particular political party. They are permitted to remain independent. Some Americans choose to vote by candidate rather than by party. Americans join a particular political party because they agree with their ideology or platform.

Participation in a Political Party:

Americans can vote for a party's candidates, donate money to party candidates, and volunteer both in between elections and during elections. Some of these tasks may include mailing information and calling people encouraging them to vote for their candidate.

Party Organization

A precinct is a voting district made up of only a few hundred voters. Precincts have a captain or person in charge of organizing volunteers.
A ward encompasses several party precincts that join together at the county-level. Citizens work together to get their party's candidates elected to county-level and state-level offices.
Counties send representatives to the state central committee. At the state-level, citizens work to ensure that their party's candidates get elected at the state and national level of government.
At the state and national level, each party has citizens who work together to see that their candidates get elected to national offices.

What is the purpose of Political Parties?

Political Parties recruit candidates to run for office at the local, state, and national level.
Political Parties educate the public on their ideologies.
Political Parties run the government when their candidates have been elected to office.
Political parties give members, or people who are loyal to the party, favors in return for their support. These favors can be jobs, government contracts, etc. This practice is also known as patronage.
Political Parties act as watchdogs over the party that has the majority. Then, they provide the public with their viewpoint on how the government should be run.
Political Parties reduce conflict between party candidates that are elected by the majority.

How are Party Candidates Elected?

Caucuses

In the early days of the Republic, presidential candidates were selected for presidential elections and other higher offices during organized meetings. These meeting places, or places where political candidates gathered, were known as caucuses.

Nominating Convention

A political convention that is held every 4 years in the United States by major political parties... The purpose of the nominating convention is to select a party's nominee for President. Also, it is to adopt an official statement of goals and principles also known as a platform.

Primary Elections

A primary election is an election that helps narrow the field of potential candidates. Political parties nominate candidates for an upcoming election.

Petition Method

A petition is a method of electing a person to office by having the individual's name printed on the election ballot. The process usually requires a significant number of signatures and fees.

Presidential Primaries

Presidential primaries are held in each of the fifty U.S. states and are part of the nominating process of United States presidential elections. Although the process is not outlined in the U.S. Constitution, it was constructed over time by the political parties. There are some states that hold primary elections and other states hold caucuses. Some states even use a combination of both.

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