Transcript Political Parties - Vista Unified School District

AGENDA Thurs 11/3 & Fri 11/4
RAP #21: Blue v. Red
 History of Political Parties
 Midterm Essay
 Midterm Exam Review Sheet
 HW: Political Ideologies: Part 2
• Pg 118 #1-6, pg 124 #1-5, pg 135 #1-4
• Midterm Exam Mon 11/7& Tues 11/8
RAP #21: Blue v. Red
Blue
Increase
Decrease
Increase
Raise
No
Pro-choice
Yes
Increase
Issue / Platform
Strong Federal Government
States Rights
Taxes
Government Regulation of Business
Prayer in School
Abortion Rights
Gun Control
Minimum Wage Laws
Red
Decrease
Increase
Lower
Lower
Yes
Pro-Life
No
Same/Decrease
Political Party Match:
What are you?
Party membership patterns
 2/3 of Americans vote like their parents.
 In recent decades Jews, African Americans,
Union members, and Catholics have more
often voted Democrat.
 White males, the business community, and
Protestants have more often voted
Republican.
History of Politics
Democrats’ and Republicans’
main goal is to gain power
by winning elections.
Parties
 Political parties are organizations seeking to
achieve power by electing its members to
public office.
 Our main parties are Republicans and
Democrats
 Parties have many roles
Roles of Parties
 Recruit candidates and support campaigns
– Parties want to control government by getting their
candidates into office, they pick who they think will be
the best person/most likely to be elected
– Parties often also provide funding for campaigns
 Organize elections and inform voters
– Promote voter interest and participation
 Organize government
– Congress and most state legislatures party aligned
– more members in government, more powerful party
Roles of Parties (cont.)
 Unite diverse interests
– Build coalitions based on shared beliefs and
common goals
– Create platforms = position on important issues
 Loyal opposition to party in power
– Critics of majority party’s proposals
– Watchdogs for corruption and/or abuses of
power
Two Party System
 In America we have a 2 party system
 That does not mean that only 2 parties exist
but that only 2 parties dominate politics in
America
 No legal (constitutional) reason for our 2
party system
– traditional, money, and the current state of the
electoral system lock it into place
Alternatives to a 2 party system
 Multiparty system- would function largely
like ours but “third parties” would have a
better chance of holding office
– Usually smaller parties band together in a
coalition to compete with larger parties or to
run the government together
– Can be a more effective representation of the
people but it can also lead to instability and
deadlocks
Alternatives cont.
 One Party system
– Basically a dictatorship
– One party = No party
America’s 2-party system is born
 History
• Started with Alexander Hamilton
– Federalists
» Favored strong national government
» Northern commercial and industrial interests
» Adams loses to Jefferson…party disappears
• Thomas Jefferson
– Democrat-Republicans (Anti-federalists)
» Favored strong state governments
» Southern farmers & rural interests
Twisted Timeline
 Pre-Constitution
•
Federalists (Hamilton) & Anti-Federalists (Jefferson)
 Constitution Ratified
– Washington = President appoints both to cabinet
to reduce rivalries (to no avail)
– Federalists: strong central govt & liberal (broad)
interpretation
– Jefferson resigns to form Jeffersonian
Republicans, aka Democrat-Republicans, aka
Anti-Federalists: state rights, strict interpretation
Twisted Timeline
 1800: A shift in perspectives
– Jefferson’s Republicans want stronger govt to
keep their policies
– Federalists move to more state rights
– LA purchase: implied power to make treaties
– Loose interpretation for Republicans
– Federalists wanted strict interpretation
Twisted Timeline
 1812
– Democrat-Republicans become nationalists
– Federalists call for Northeastern states to secede
• Not a popular position and lose favor
– Era of Good Feelings
 1824
– Corrupt bargain w/ Adams, Clay against
Jackson
Twisted Timeline
 1828
– Jackson’s revenge = Democrat party
– Whig party = Jackson’s enemies
Twisted Timeline
 1850s Splitting Hairs (Whig)
– Slavery divides Whigs and falls apart
– Antislavery activists (abolitionists) and
formerly-known-as-Whigs form Republican
party in 1854
– Abraham Lincoln and Republicans established
as 2nd major party
The Democratic Donkey
•The now-famous Democratic
donkey was first associated with
Democrat Andrew Jackson's 1828
presidential campaign. (P.126)
•His opponents called him a
jackass (a donkey), and Jackson
decided to use the image of the
strong-willed animal on his
campaign posters.
•Later, cartoonist Thomas Nast
used the Democratic donkey in
newspaper cartoons and made the
symbol famous.
The Republican Elephant
 Nast invented another famous symbol—the Republican
elephant. In a cartoon that appeared in Harper's Weekly in
1874, Nast drew a donkey clothed in lion's skin, scaring
away all the animals at the zoo. One of those animals, the
elephant, was labeled “The Republican Vote.” That's all it
took for the elephant to become associated with the
Republican Party.
 Democrats today say the donkey is smart
and brave, while Republicans say the
elephant is strong and dignified.
Party Eras
 Since 1800, one or the other major parties dominated
 President & usually both houses of Congress (pg. 754)
 1st Era: Democrats [Dem, Dem-Reps] (1800-1860)
13 of 15 Presidential elections (1st 3 elections=No party/Federalist)
 2nd Era: Republicans (1861-1932)
13 of 18 Presidential Elections
 3rd Era: Democrats (1933-1968)
7 of 9 Presidential Elections
 4th Era: Modern (1969-Present)
Republicans = 7 of 11 elections, yet Dems rule Congress
The Era of Democrats
1800-1854
 Jackson’s party: coalition of farmers,
pioneers, slave holders
South and West
Three fundamental changes to politics
 Voting for all white males
 Increases in elected offices
 Spoils system (vote for us, we’ll award you)
 Public office, contracts, other govt favor
 Jackson’s opponents: Whigs (led by Clay)
 Slavery splits parties (Whig leaders dead)
The Era of Republicans
1854-1932
– The election of Abraham Lincoln
AND
– the Civil War marked the beginning
of the reign of the Republican party.
– Business people, farmers, newly
freed African Americans backed the
party.
The Return of the Democrats
1932-1968
– The Great Depression changed the way people
thought about the government.
– Democrats built a strong new base of
southerners, small farmers, labor union
members, and city people.
• The only Republican elected during this time was war hero
Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The Start of a New Era
1968-2010
– During much of this era we have had a divided
government –
• Especially when no party controls both legislative and
executive branches.
– Divided government can cause gridlock.
4 Types of Minor Parties
Ideological parties -based on certain social,
economic, or political ideas. They tend to stay
around for a long time.
 Socialist Party (1890-1973)
 Communist Party (1919-1980s)
 Libertarian Party (1971-present)
Single-issue parties -tend to fade away
 Know Nothing Party (1850s)
 Prohibition Party (1869–present)
 National Women’s Party(1913-1920)
 Right to Life Party (1970-present),
4 Types of Minor Parties
Economic protest parties - appear during tough
financial times.
 Greenback party (1874-1884)
 Populist Party (1892-1908)
 Reform party (1995-present)
Splinter parties - parties that have broken away from
one of the major parties. Usually has a strong leader
who did not get a major party’s nomination.
 Progressive “Bull Moose” party (1912-1952) split votes in 1912—T.
Roosevelt/Taft
 States’ Rights “Dixiecrat” Party (1948)
 American Independent - segregationist Governor George Wallace (1967present) (**In CA = Constitution Party)
 Green Party (1996-present)
Minor Parties
 What does it mean to call a minor party a
spoiler?
– A spoiler takes votes away from a major
candidate, possibly causing the candidates
defeat. Examples?
Future of the Major Parties
More voters have strong ties to single-issues.
They are for or against that candidate based
on his/her stand on that particular issue.
(i.e. Iraq, health care, abortion, etc.)
– More independents
– More split-ticket voting
– Candidates rely more on technology- TV,
internet
HW: Party Platform: Part 1
Due: Thurs 11/3 & Fri 11/4
 Write an overview of the specific political party from
your “Political Party Matchmaker” (8-10 sentences)
 Write a response to your placement on the “Political
Issues Survey” and the match the “Political Party
Matchmaker” made for you (4-6 sentences)
 Research parties/ideologies of two other political
parties (one that is VERY different and another that is
SIMILAR to your match/placement on the spectrum)
– Write an overview of the parties, specifically focusing on 2
areas of most interest to you (8-10 sentences for each party)
HW: Party Platform: Part 2
DUE: Mon 11/7 & Tues 11/8
 Create your own political platform
– Must have minimum of 5 issues from the
following list:
• Abortion, Capital Punishment, Economy,
Energy, Environment, Foreign Policy, Gun
Control, Health Care, Iraq, Marriage
Laws, Minimum Wage, Taxes
– Clearly explain your perspective and plan for
how you would want your party to deal w/
each issue (2-3 sentences per issue)
Midterm Reflection Essay
In Class: Thurs 11/3 & Fri 11/4
“Based on your viewing of “The Candidate” and excerpts
from “Bobby,” along with your own understanding of
the role of political parties, write an essay which
addresses one component from each of the following
options:
Option A
1. Compare and contrast the role of political parties in promoting
candidates for the presidency from the late 1960s to today.
2. Compare and contrast the campaign issues, party platforms, and
personal character of each candidate from “The Candidate” and
“Bobby”.
AND
Option B
1. At the end of “The Candidate” the question is posed, “What do we
do now?” Predict the influence on government McKay will have
after he won the Senate race.
2. Predict the impact on our country had Bobby Kennedy not been
shot and won the Presidency.
References
 McClenaghan, W. (2006). Magruder’s American
Government. Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.
 Hart, Diane. (2009). Government Alive! Power, Politics
and You. Palo Alto, CA: Teachers’ Curriculum Institute.
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http://www.balancedpolitics.org/ideology.htm
http://www.edgate.com/elections/inactive/the_parties/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_ideologies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_the_United_S
tates#Current_major_parties
 http://www.3pc.net/
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_parties_in_the_United_States