1 / 21

Political parties in the united states

Political parties in the united states. chapter 5. Section 1. Parties & What they do. What do we have today?. Political party - group of people who seek to control gov ’ t through winning elections & holding public office sometimes with common principles Two main parties: Third Parties:.

devaki
Télécharger la présentation

Political parties in the united states

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Political parties in the united states • chapter 5

  2. Section 1 • Parties & What they do

  3. What do we have today? • Political party - group of people who seek to control gov’t through winning elections & holding public office • sometimes with common principles • Two main parties: • Third Parties:

  4. “One big party” • See “One Big Party” handouts/ worksheets • from iCivics (Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor)

  5. Who makes up Parties • Party Organization - they are the leaders, workers, volunteers, donators • Party in Gov’t - candidates & officeholders • both elected & appointed • Party in the Electorate - millions of people who relate, join, and vote to support it

  6. Section 2 • Two Party System in American History

  7. Two Party System - US • Historical Basis – from our 1st days, US has always had 2 main political parties • Tradition – people get “used” to supporting “their” party • Electoral System – Single Member Plurality Elections – most elections pick a single officeholder • Ideological Consensus – mostly moderate views

  8. US - our 1st parties • grew out of Washington’s own Cabinet • ironic as he personally was against parties • Federalists - Alexander Hamilton (Treasury) • wealthy, big business, strong gov’t • Democratic-Republicans - Thomas Jefferson (state) • farmers, laborers, small gov’t, states

  9. Era of the Democrats • 1800-1860 • “era of good feeling” - only D-R’s • D-R’s became known as just Democrats • opposition - Federalists then Whigs • essentially grew out of a faction of D-R party • won 13 of 15 presidential elections

  10. Era of the Republicans • 1860 - 1932 • gained control especially during Reconstruction Era • From Abraham Lincoln in 1860 until FDR’s victory held White House for all but 16 years • 2 “interludes” worthy of note - Cleveland’s split terms & Wilson’s victory with split party • Republicans split w/ Progressive Party

  11. Return of Democrats • 1932 - 1968 • FDR’s four elections started era • impact from Great Depression & WWII • only exception was Eisenhower’s 2 terms

  12. Era of Divided Gov’t • 1968 - present • Since Nixon’s election, presidential power has gone back and forth between Republicans and Democrats • Control of Congress has also shifted between the two parties on a regular basis • Today:

  13. Sec. 3 - Minor Parties • some come and go within the span of a few years, while others endure for decades • 3 types: • Ideological Parties: based on a particular set of political beliefs, will offer full platforms - tend shift more left or right • Single-Issue parties: focus on one point, typically short-lived especially if issue is addressed

  14. Types Con’t… • 3. Economic Protest Parties: during periods of economic hardship, demands for relief, disappear as economy recovers • 4. Splinter Parties - groups that split off the major parties, usually over disagreement on a major issue or Presidential nominee

  15. Minor parties can… • Minor parties can have a significant impact on politics even w/o electoral success • sometimes even played “spoiler” • can force the major parties to address their issues

  16. 4 - Party Organization • both Rep & Dem have full-time national headquarters, w/ large staffs & multi-million dollar budgets • However there is no chain of command from national party thru states to local level • decentralized on purpose • President is always head of that party • otherwise, can have various “leaders”

  17. Party Functions • guide candidates through nominating process and then nominees through the campaign • w/ $$ from donors, the party organizations help fund candidates’ campaigns • provide assistance with advertising, polling • influence the political views of candidates at federal, state & local levels

  18. National Party • National Convention - has ultimate power; meets every 4 years to nominate presidential candidate • also makes party’s rules & platform • National Committee - composed of delegates from states - manages affairs between conventions • National Chairperson - picked by the just nominated candidate at Nat’l Convention - manages daily work for the party

  19. More... • Congressional Campaign Committees - people who work to help incumbents get re-elected & attempt to keep “open seats” in the party • separate ones for Senate & House

  20. State Organization • State central committee w/ state chairperson • usually comprised of members from counties & picked during the primaries • functions to further party’s interests, assist w/ campaigns & $$, promote unity

  21. Local Organizations • vary greatly!! • generally determined by Congressional Districts, state legislative districts • further divided into wards & smaller units called precincts • cities may also have blocks • can be active groups or mostly inactive except for pre-election months

More Related