Vocab
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Political Parties
Factions Federalist Party Propagandizing Partisan Press Republican Party |
Whiskey Rebellion
Platforms Political Officeholders Spoils System Party Machines Party Boss |
Constituents
Mugwumps Progressives Direct Primary Election Caucuses Merit System |
New Deal
Candidate Centered Partisan Politics |
Short History of Political Parties In America
Here's a short video that will help you understand the two party system that we have. You can watch it directly on here or you can click on the link that will take you to Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7JBXja7SAY&feature=youtu.be
You will need to copy and paste the address in the address bar at the top of the screen to watch it from the link.
You will need to copy and paste the address in the address bar at the top of the screen to watch it from the link.
Political Parties - organizations under which candidates seek and hold political offices under. They develop and use rules to govern elections and help organize government leadership. Political parties began as factions (groups) in the 1700s based on ideas, then became political machines (term used to describe an influential group) in the 1800s. During the 1900s, political parties began to appear as service type organizations that gave assistance and help to candidates, much like a parent would a child. The party being the parent, the child being the candidate.
The founders of the Constitution were fearful of the rise of factions, groups in society that organize to advance a political agenda (agenda is a specific set of goals). They designed a government of checks and balances that would prevent any one group from becoming too influential. Despite the ambiguous (ambiguous means the largely unknown option) feelings expressed by the founders, the first modern political party, the Federalists, appeared in the United States in 1789, more than three decades before parties developed in Great Britain and other western nations. Since 1798, the United States has only experienced one brief period without national parties, from 1816 to 1827, when infighting following the War of 1812 tore apart the Federalists and the Republicans.
The first American party system began after the Revolutionary War as political factions (factions are groups that share the same basic ideas). President George Washington sought to create an administration that did not have political parties. In order to do this, he appointed two people, Alexander Hamilton as treasury secretary, and Thomas Jefferson, as secretary of state, who held views that were opposite of his political views. His train of thought was that the two men would work together for the national interest, but his vision was short lived.
Hamilton and Jefferson differed radically in their approaches to rectifying the economic crisis that threatened the new nation. Hamilton proposed a series of measures, including a controversial tax on whiskey and the establishment of a national bank. He aimed to have the federal government assume the entire burden of the debts incurred by the states during the Revolutionary War. Jefferson, a Virginian who sided with local farmers, fought this proposition. He believed that moneyed business interests in the New England states stood to benefit from Hamilton’s plan. Hamilton assembled a group of powerful supporters to promote his plan, a group that eventually became the Federalist Party.
Hamilton and Jefferson differed radically in their approaches to rectifying the economic crisis that threatened the new nation. Hamilton proposed a series of measures, including a controversial tax on whiskey and the establishment of a national bank. He aimed to have the federal government assume the entire burden of the debts incurred by the states during the Revolutionary War. Jefferson, a Virginian who sided with local farmers, fought this proposition. He believed that moneyed business interests in the New England states stood to benefit from Hamilton’s plan. Hamilton assembled a group of powerful supporters to promote his plan, a group that eventually became the Federalist Party.
Federalists and Republicans
The Federalist Party originated at the national level but soon extended to the states, counties, and towns. Hamilton used business and military connections to build the party at the grassroots level (from the bottom up), primarily in the Northeast (New England). Because voting rights had been expanded during the Revolutionary War, the Federalists sought to attract voters to their party. They used their newfound organization for propagandizing (advertising their party and candidate as the best) and campaigning for candidates. They established several big-city newspapers to promote their cause, including the Gazette of the United States, the Columbian Centinel, and the American Minerva, which were supplemented by broadsheets (broadsheets were like one page advertisements passed around) in smaller locales. This partisan press (newspapers that promoted one party only) initiated one of the key functions of political parties—explaining positions on issues and influencing public opinion (this would be their version of political campaign ads on tv and social media).
Disillusioned (means not happy with) with Washington’s administration, especially its foreign policy, Jefferson left the cabinet in 1794. Jefferson urged his friend James Madison to take on Hamilton in the press, stating, “For God’s sake, my Dear Sir, take up your pen, select your most striking heresies (means use your best attacks), and cut him to pieces in the face of the public” (means expose him for the bad politician he is to the public). Madison did just that under the pen name of Helvidius. His writings helped fuel an anti-Federalist opposition movement, which provided the foundation for the Republican Party. This early Republican Party differs from the present-day party of the same name. Opposition newspapers, the National Gazette and the Aurora, communicated the Republicans’ views and actions, and inspired local groups and leaders to align themselves with the emerging party. The Whiskey Rebellion in 1794, staged by farmers angered by Hamilton’s tax on whiskey, reignited the founders’ fears that violent factions could overthrow the government.
Political parties were first seen in presidential elections in 1796, when Federalist John Adams was barely victorious over Republican Thomas Jefferson. During the election of 1800, Republican and Federalist members of Congress met formally to nominate presidential candidates, a practice that was a precursor (precursor means, came before) to the nominating conventions (also called primaries today) used today. As the head of state and leader of the Republicans, Jefferson established the American tradition of political parties as grassroots organizations that band together smaller groups representing various interests, run slates of candidates for office, and present issue platforms (platforms are the things a party stands for. An example of a party platform would be: The Democratic platform of gun control).
The early Federalist and Republican parties consisted largely of political officeholders (means that most of their membership came from people that actually held office, not the general public). The Federalists not only lacked a mass membership base but also were unable to expand their reach beyond the monied classes (rich people). As a result, the Federalists ceased to be a force after the 1816 presidential election, when they received few votes. The Republican Party, bolstered by successful presidential candidates Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe, was the sole surviving national party by 1820. Infighting soon caused the Republicans to divide into warring factions: the National Republicans and the Democratic-Republicans.
The early Federalist and Republican parties consisted largely of political officeholders (means that most of their membership came from people that actually held office, not the general public). The Federalists not only lacked a mass membership base but also were unable to expand their reach beyond the monied classes (rich people). As a result, the Federalists ceased to be a force after the 1816 presidential election, when they received few votes. The Republican Party, bolstered by successful presidential candidates Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe, was the sole surviving national party by 1820. Infighting soon caused the Republicans to divide into warring factions: the National Republicans and the Democratic-Republicans.
Establishment of a two party system
The true or most like what we know today, political party system, developed into two parties with specific agendas or ideas for running government developed in 1828. The Democratic-Repulicans, which became the Democratic Party, elected their presidential candidate, Andrew Jackson. The Whig Party, an offshoot of the former National Republicans, formed in opposition to the Democrats in 1834. The era of Jacksonian Democracy, which lasted from the 1830s to the Civil War in 1861, saw the rise of mass-based party politics (meaning the public became very involved and each party's agenda (set of goals) became clear). Some states had a 96% public turnout during elections, campaign buttons were worn that endorsed candidates. This is also when the spoils system emerged in politics. The spoils system is the also known as patronage, is where voters' party loyalty was rewarded with jobs and favors by the political party leaders.
By 1860, the two party system of Democrats and Republicans was in place. The Republican Party was formed in 1854 during a gathering of former Whigs, disillusioned Democrats (unhappy Democrats), and members of the Free-Soil Party, a minor antislavery party. The Republicans came to prominence (power) with the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860.
By 1860, the two party system of Democrats and Republicans was in place. The Republican Party was formed in 1854 during a gathering of former Whigs, disillusioned Democrats (unhappy Democrats), and members of the Free-Soil Party, a minor antislavery party. The Republicans came to prominence (power) with the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860.
Political Party Machines
Parties were especially powerful in the post–Civil War period through the Great Depression, when more than 15 million people immigrated to the United States from Europe, many of whom resided in urban areas. Party machines, cohesive, authoritarian command structures headed by bosses who expected loyalty and services from underlings (non party leaders) in return for jobs and favors, dominated political life in cities. Machines helped immigrants obtain jobs, learn the laws of the land, gain citizenship, and take part in politics. They also did bad things like intimidate and attack those who did not follow their rules.
Machine politics was not based on ideology (political ideas), but on loyalty and group identity. The Curley machine in Boston was made up largely of Irish constituents (constituents are voters) who sought to elect their own. Because party machines controlled the government, they were able to sponsor public works programs, such as roads, sewers, and construction projects, as well as social welfare programs, which endeared (made them favorable) them to their followers. The ability of party bosses to organize voters made them a force to be reckoned with, even as their tactics were questionable and corruption was rampant. Bosses such as William Tweed in New York were larger-than-life figures who used their powerful positions for personal gain.
Reforming Politics
Not everyone benefited from political machines. There were some problems that machines either could not or would not deal with. Industrialization and the rise of corporate giants created great disparities in wealth. Dangerous working conditions existed in urban factories and rural coal mines. Farmers faced falling prices for their products. Reformers blamed these conditions on party corruption and inefficiency. They alleged that party bosses were diverting funds that should be used to improve social conditions into their own pockets and keeping their incompetent friends in positions of power.
Progressives
The mugwumps, reformers who declared their independence from political parties, banded together in the 1880s and provided the foundation for the Progressive Movement. The Progressives initiated reforms that lessened the parties’ hold over the electoral system. Voters had been required to cast color-coded ballots provided by the parties, which meant that their vote choice was not confidential. The Progressives succeeded by 1896 in having most states implement the secret ballot. The secret ballot is issued by the state and lists all parties and candidates. This system allows people to split their ticket when voting rather than requiring them to vote the party line. The Progressives also hoped to lessen machines’ control over the candidate selection process. They advocated a system of direct primary elections in which the public could participate rather than caucuses, or meetings of party elites. The direct primary had been instituted in only a small number of states, such as Wisconsin, by the early years of the twentieth century. The widespread use of direct primaries to select presidential candidates did not occur until the 1970s.
The Progressives sought to end party machine dominance by eliminating the patronage system. Instead, employment would be awarded on the basis of qualifications rather than party loyalty. The merit system, now called the civil service system, was instituted in 1883 with the passage of the Pendleton Act. The merit system wounded political machines, although it did not eliminate them.
1930s to 1960s -New Deal & Cold War Era Politics
Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal program for leading the United States out of the Great Depression in the 1930s had dramatic effects on political parties. The New Deal placed the federal government in the pivotal role of ensuring the economic welfare of citizens. Both major political parties recognized the importance of being close to the power center of government and established national headquarters in Washington, DC. During this period, the presidential candidates became the symbols of the political party, at least in leadership, if not ideas. During this period, politics became less centered on the people and more centered on the political leadership.
During the 1950s through the 1980s, there was a shift in which presidential candidates began to campaign more on their personal views of politics than that of how they aligned or fit into the overall political party they belonged to. Presidents began to win elections based on their personal, rather than party, ideas.
During the 1950s through the 1980s, there was a shift in which presidential candidates began to campaign more on their personal views of politics than that of how they aligned or fit into the overall political party they belonged to. Presidents began to win elections based on their personal, rather than party, ideas.
Political parties instituted a series of reforms beginning in the late 1960s amid concerns that party elites were not responsive to the public and operated secretively in so-called smoke-filled rooms. The Democrats were the first to act, forming the McGovern-Fraser Commission to revamp the presidential nominating system. The commission’s reforms, adopted in 1972, allowed more average voters to serve as delegates to the national party nominating convention, where the presidential candidate is chosen. The result was that many state Democratic parties switched from caucuses, where convention delegates are selected primarily by party leaders, to primary elections, which make it easier for the public to take part. The Republican Party soon followed with its own reforms that resulted in states adopting primaries.
The unintended consequence of reform was to diminish the influence of political parties in the electoral process and to promote the candidate-centered politics that exists today. Candidates build personal campaign organizations rather than rely on party support. The media have contributed to the rise of candidate-centered politics. Candidates can appeal directly to the public through television rather than working their way through the party apparatus when running for election. Candidates use social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, to connect with voters. Campaign professionals and media consultants assume many of the responsibilities previously held by parties, such as developing election strategies and getting voters to the polls.
Above Info Sourced from the Univ of Minnesota US Government Website
Partisan Politics
Partisan politics are politics that are centered around party support. If one is very partisan, that means they primarily only endorse or vote for one specific party. Among the public overall, 78% say divisions between Republicans and Democrats in this country are increasing, which means they believe the political system is becoming more partisan. A lot of this is because Americans believe that the two parties are becoming further apart in their views or what they stand for. Thirty years ago, only about a third of Americans believed that there was great difference between the two parties, today over half of Americans believe there is a large difference between the parties. In a recent study, more than half of Republicans say the Democrats have no good ideas, while about the same number say that about the Republican Party.
Party Platforms
Republican-Create 10 million jobs in 10 months
-Create 1 million new small businesses -Cut taxes to boost take home pay and keep jobs in America -Enact fair trade -'Made in America' tax credits -Deregulate Energy Depenedence -Develop vaccine for Covid 19 by end of 2020 -return to normal in 2021 -refill stockpiles and prepare for future pandemics -bring back 1 million manufacturing jobs from China -tax credits for those who move businesses from China to US -cut prescription drug prices -put patients and doctors back in charge of healthcare system -protect social security and medicare -school choice -teach American exceptionalism -pass Congressional term limits -defend the police -bring violent extremist groups like Antifa to justice -end illegal immigration -end sanctuary cities -manned space mission to mars -high speed wireless internet network everywhere -Stop endless wars and bring troops home -make allies pay for their fair share -defend American values -nominate constitutionalist Supreme Court nominees -protect unborn life -defend the freedoms of religious believers and organizations -support the exercise of 2nd Amend rights |
Democrat-COVID 19 testing free and available to all
-expand health departments -expand healthcare coverage (Obamacare) -prioritize support for Black business owners -impose rigorous oversight on big corporations -enact robust paid sick leave protections for contractors, gig workers, domestic workers, self employed workers. -invest more in infrastructure -clean energy -raising minimum wage -repeal right to work -support workers unions -increase equal opportunity hiring -paid family leave for everyone -500,000 public charging stations -create second railroad revolution with high speed rail -government work will be through unions -increased government funded business programs -increased US Dept of Ag spending on farms that fit Gov't ideas -more support for farmers of color -all farms net zero emissions -enforce labor and environmental protections for farm workers -increased artificial intelligence -more government housing -pro choice -promote "gender confirmation surgery" -end police brutality -end mass incarceration -reduce incarcerating kids as adults -reducing deadly force by law enforcement -removal of all Confederate imagery and statues from public -combating climate change -pro gun control -more taxes |
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