USI.20

Standard USI.21> media type="custom" key="29547999" align="right" =Explain the evolution and function of political parties, including their role in federal, state, and local elections. =


 * Image to the right is a Federalist poster from about 1800. Washington (in heaven) tells partisans (from different political parties) to keep the pillars of Federalism, Republicanism and Democracy. **

Topics on the Page

 * Overview of the American Political System **
 * First Two Party System **
 * Second Two Party System **
 * Mid-19th Century Political Crisis **
 * The Election of 1860 **
 * Politics of the Gilded Age **
 * The Progressive Era **
 * 1920s **
 * The New Deal **
 * Post World War III **
 * ** Women in American Politics **
 * 1980s **
 * Current Parties and Politics **
 * ====See Special Topic Page on the **Electoral College and Ideas for Election Reform**====

[[image:rotating gif.gif width="43" height="43"]]For more on political parties, see

 * === United States Government.3.7 ===
 * ===** United States History II.5 **===
 * ===** AP Government Standard on Political Parties and Elections **===

**Overview of American Political Parties**
[|American Political Party Platforms, 1840 to 2008] from the American Presidency Project (includes only parties that received electoral votes).

[|Massachusetts Directory of Political Parties and Designations] from the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office provides a listing of parties in present-day Massachusetts, as well as links to the websites of the Democratic Party, Republican Party, Green Party and others.





(The following is a modified version of material from the Mury, Utah School System)

Click [|here] to read the Federalist Papers, written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, to promote the ratification of the Constitution.
 * First Two Party System, the 1780s - 1801**
 * [|Federalists] v. [|Democratic-Republicans]
 * Federalists favored a strong central government while Democratic-Republicans emphasized states rights
 * [|Here] is a link to the final address of George Washington, the nations first president, where he voices his displeasure with the idea of a multiple party system of government, believing it would weaken the integrity of the nation.


 * Second Two-Party System, 1836 -1850**
 * [|Democrats] v. [|Whigs]
 * Democrats were the party of tradition; Whigs the party of modernization
 * Democrats were Jeffersonian agrarians who favored farms, rural independence, and the right to own slaves
 * Whigs were entrepreneurs who favored industry, urban growth, and free labor


 * Mid-19th Century Political Crisis, the 1840s - Civil War**
 * [|Liberty Party]
 * [|Free Soil Party]
 * Whigs (included southern "cotton" Whigs and northern "conscience" Whigs)
 * [|American Party] (Know-Nothing Party)
 * [|Republican Party] (formed in 1854 from a coalition of independent Democrats, Free Soilers, and Conscience Whigs In opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act)

Click [|here] for a link on the liberty party.


 * Election of 1860**
 * Democrats split over slavery (Northern Democrats nominated Stephen Douglas/Southern Democrats nominated John Breckenridge)
 * Abraham Lincoln nominated by Republicans
 * Lincoln re-elected in 1864


 * Politics of the Gilded Age**
 * Republicans dominate the Senate; Democrats dominate the House of Representatives
 * Both parties support a pro-business stance
 * Both parties oppose economic or political reform
 * [|Populist Party] formed in 1891 supporting government ownership of railroads, telegraphs, and telephone lines; graduated income tax, direct election of senators, and the use of the initiative, referendum, and recall.
 * **For more, see United States History II.8**
 * [[image:Multimedia.png]]Click [|here]to watch a crash course on the Gilded Age**


 * Politics of the Progressive Era**
 * 1900 to 1920 and the presidencies of Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson
 * Believed progress and reformed institutions would replace corrupt institutions
 * Viewed government as a key to creating an orderly, stable and improved society
 * Progressive amendments to the Constitution (16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th)


 * Politics of the 1920s**
 * Republicans dominated the presidency and Congress from 1921-1933
 * Presidents Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover
 * Government was decidedly pro-business


 * Politics of the New Deal**


 * Image to the right shows a rural woman removing a pie from an oven that receives electricity made possible by the Rural Electrification Administration, a New Deal-created agency **
 * Democratic Party's New Deal coalition dominated politics from 1933-1952
 * Franklin D. Roosevelt elected President for four terms
 * Included ethnic groups, city dwellers, organized labor, African Americans and a broad segment of the middle class
 * Active role for the federal government in economic and social affairs
 * Truman's Fair Deal continued the New Deal by urging expanded Social Security benefits, increasing the minimum wage, public housing and government sponsorship of research
 * Democratic coalition split in 1948 into two branches: [|States Rights Party] (Dixiecrats) who opposed civil rights and the[| Progressive Party] who favored abolition of racial segregation and gradual socialism.
 * States Rights Party nominated Strom Thurmond for President; Progressive Party nominated Henry A. Wallace


 * Politics of Post World War II**
 * Democrats take the "big" government position favoring governmental regulation of business and supporting governmental involvement in social issues like education, urban renewal, and civil rights.
 * Democrats champion the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.
 * Republicans continue a pro-business stance; Dwight Eisenhower elected President twice in the 1950s
 * Republicans label Democrats "soft" on communism
 * Democrats become fragmented over the Vietnam War
 * Republicans draw White voters and Southern Democrats by opposing growing federal social programs leading to election of Richard Nixon in 1968
 * Nixon forced to resign the Presidency in the wake of the [|Watergate] scandal. **For more, see United States History II.28**


 * [[image:womens history.jpg]]Women in American Politics**


 * Click[| here] to read about women in the Civil Rights Movement.**
 * Click** **[|here] to read a brief history of women in American Politics from PBS.**


 * & [[image:resourcesforhistoryteachers/multicultural.png]] & [[image:resourcesforhistoryteachers/timeline2_rus.svg.png]]Click [|here] for a timeline from U.S. Newsweek that shows African American and Women's**

Since the Great Depression of the 1930s, when President FDR's New Deal programs brought many minority and disadvantaged groups work, African Americans have been much more supportive of the Democratic Party, shown through [|this] website.

**Politics of the 1980s**



 * Image to the rights shows Rep. Albert Wynn joins Gloria Feldt, President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, on the steps of the Supreme Court, to rally for a Women's Right to Choose on the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade **
 * Rise of evangelical Christians along with the movement of affluent ethnic suburbanites and southern White voters to the Republican Party (emergence of the "new right")
 * Election of Ronald Reagan to two terms in the 1980s. **For more, see United States History II.29**
 * Democrats support environmental legislation, pro-choice movement and reproductive rights, and affirmative action programs
 * Electorate deeply divided over social and racial issues



Politics of 2011/2012 and the Tea Party
[|Tea Party]forms, which opposes taxation, immigration, and government intervention. Consists of mainly Republicans. Supports the free market. Widely known for their protests.

What is the House Freedom Caucus and Who's In It, Pew Research Center (October 20, 2015)

The Billionaires Bankrolling the Tea Party, Frank Rich, New York Times (August 28, 2010)

Teaching Resources
Click [|here] for a timeline of the US Presidents and their political parties

Click [|here] to read an article from Scholastic.com on political parties. It includes the development of the political parties, how they work, and 3rd parties.

Click [|here] to read about political parties from the Library of Congress. It also includes a game to match political parties to platforms.


 * Click [|here]for a lesson plan on political parties.
 * Click [|here] for a lesson plan on political parties that includes a rap song about political parties.
 * Click [|here] for a variety of games and lesson plans on the formation of political parties to national elections.
 * Click [|here] for a lesson plan to help students understand our current two-party system.


 * Click [|here] for a Sporcle quiz on political parties that have received at least one electoral vote.
 * Click [|here] for a Sporcle quiz on the Presidents and their political parties.
 * Click [|here] for a quiz from PBS or [|here] for a quiz from Isidewith.com (2017) to establish which political party you might identify with.

This excerpt is from George Washington's Farewell Address in 1796: //It [party conflicts] serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity [hatred] of one part against another; foments [provokes] occasionally riot and insurrection.// Which of the following statements **best** summarizes George Wash ington's view on political parties? A. They were sources of corruption B. They were controlled by the social elite C. They were sources of division in the country D. They were prone to influence by foreign powers
 * MCAS Test Question from 2007**


 * The correct answer is C.**

Members of the Populist Party supported public ownership of railroads because they thought it would A. Help small farmers B. Reduce immigration C. Decrease income taxes D. Change monetary policy
 * CST Test Question from 2008**


 * The correct answer is A.**

The Democratic-Republican followers of Thomas Jefferson were more likely than the Federalist followers of Alexander Hamilton to support initiatives designed to: A. improve diplomatic relations with Great Britain B. Strengthen the authority of state and federal courts C. Protect the rights of indigenous peoples D. Limit the powers of federal government
 * MTEL Practice Test Questions**


 * The correct answer is D.**

Which of the following best describes a major role of political parties in the US political system? A. Organizing the election process B. Establishing ethical standards for public officials C. Nominating federal appointees D. Monitoring the operation of state and federal governments


 * The correct answer is A.**

Click [|here] for essay questions from a UNCW class by Professor Roger Lowery on political parties.