9.1 Development of
Political Parties
Mrs. Shadoin
Civics and Economics
Political Parties


A political party is an
organization of
individuals with broad,
common interests who
organize to win elections,
operate the government,
and influence government
policy
During most of American
history there have been
two major political
parties; for this reason, the
US is said to have a twohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_the_United_States
party
system
Growth of American Parties

The US Constitution says nothing about
political parties; in his Farewell Address of
1796, President George Washington warned
against them
Growth of American Parties

By the late 1790s, two rival political groups
emerged, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson
led one, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander
Hamilton led the other
Thomas Jefferson- Democratic Republicans
Alexander Hamilton-Federalists
Growth of American Parties

Hamilton favored a strong national
government (FEDERALISTS); Jefferson
argued for more power for state governments
(DEMOCRATIC-REPUBLICANS)
Comparison of the Two Parties




Democratic-Reps.
Founded-1792
Dissolved-1824
Leaders included
Thomas Jefferson and
James Madison
Beliefs: States’ rights,
Agricultural, ProFrench, Strict
interpretation of the
Constitution, Strong in
the South





Federalists
Founded-1794
Dissolved-1820
Leaders included
Alexander Hamilton and
John Adams
Beliefs: Strong national
government, Industrial,
Pro-British, Loose
interpretation of the
Constitution, Strong in
New England and cities
The Democratic Party


At first Jefferson’s group was called the
Democratic-Republican Party by 1828 the party
split
Those who supported candidate Andrew Jackson
took the name Democratic Party; in 1830 a new
party, the Whigs rose to compete
Jackson founded the modern Democratic Party
The Republican Party


In 1854 a group of
Democrats and Whigs
who opposed slavery
left their party to form
the Republican Party
In 1860, Abraham
Lincoln won election as
the first Republican
president, since then
Republicans and
Democrats have been
our two major parties
Third Parties

Third Parties are smaller minor parties that
have competed for power in the nation’s twoparty system; they have never won the
presidency but major parties sometimes adopt
their ideas
Third Parties

Single-Issue
Parties= promote a
social, economic,
or moral issue (ex.
The Prohibitionist
Party which wanted
to ban the sale of
alcohol)
Third Parties

Ideological Parties= support a particular
philosophy or political doctrine (ex. The
Socialist Labor Party and Communist Party
USA)
Third Parties

Independent Candidates= sometimes third parties
form around leaders with strong personalities who
cannot get support from one of the two major
parties (ex. H. Ross Perot and the Reform Party in
1992)
Ross Perot-Reform Party- 1992 and 1996
Theodore Roosevelt-Bull Moose Party- 1912
Election of 1912
Election of 1992
Third Parties

There are many
obstacles to third-party
candidates winning
major elections: they
must obtain a large
number of voter
signatures to get on the
ballot in many states
and they have trouble
raising money to
compete against major
party candidates
Other Party Systems

Many democracies
have multiparty
systems; in these
systems three or
more parties compete
for control of the
government; several
parties must work
together
Other Party Systems


Another type of system
is the one-party system;
in this the party and
government are nearly
the same thing (Ex.
China and the
Communist Party)
Elections are an empty
exercise because there
are no rival candidates;
one-party systems are
not democratic systems
Mao Zedong- Founded the People’s
Republic of China in 1949
How the Parties Differ


Democrats believe the federal government should be
more involved in regulating the economy and in
providing housing, income, education, and jobs for
the poor
Republicans believe if they help the nation’s
economy grow, poor 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 the growth of production
How the Parties Differ


One way to identify
differences between the
two parties is to read the
political document, or
platform, that each party
writes at its presidential
nominating convention,
held every four years
The platform is a series of
statements expressing the
party’s principles, beliefs,
and positions on election
issues
How the Parties Differ

Each individual part of the platform is called a
plank; the platform communicates to voters
what the party claims it will do if it wins
election