Political PartiesUS Government

Political Parties

Political organizations that seek influence and power over the government.

How Parties Influence Government

1. Working to get their members elected to control the government.

How Parties Influence Government

2. Party members :• make speeches• make public appearances• make laws

How many political parties are there in America?

Can you think of any?

Some political parties…

1. The Democratic Party2. The Republican Party3. The Libertarian Party4. The Green Party5. The Natural Law Party

Some political parties..

6. The Constitution Party

7. Communist Party USA

8. The American Nazi Party

9. Worker’s World Party

Okay, but how many political parties are actually competitive

for getting elected?

The Two-Party System

In the USA, only two parties are competitive to control the government at the local, state, and national level.

• The Democrat Party • The Republican Party

Where did The Democratic Party come from?

The Democratic Party REPLACED The Jeffersonian (anti-federalist!) Party in 1830.

They presented themselves as the party of “The Common Man”.

Where did The Democratic Party come from?

They wanted public land to be cheaper for people to buy.

They interpreted the Constitution EXACTLY as it was written.

Where did The Democratic Party come from?

They were staunchly Pro-Slavery during The Civil War.

Immigrants, laborers, and settlers supported this party during this time.

Where did The Republican Party come from?

The Republican Party REPLACED The Whigs.

They were the Anti-Slavery Party from 1856 through The Civil War.

Where did The Republican Party come from?

They favored building a national railroad, having protective tariffs, and the containment of slavery.

Businesspeople, Abolitionists, and African Americans supported this party at this time.

What about NOW?

Democrats: typically follow ideals of the “liberal” ideology• Regulate the economy• Redistribute income (higher taxes)• Broad interpretation of the Constitution

What about NOW?

Republicans: typically follow ideals of the “conservative” ideology• Free-market economy• Protect individual income & property (lower taxes)

• Strict interpretation of the Constitution

Donkeys? Elephants? Tell me more!!

Cartoonist Thomas Nast used these symbols in his political cartoons of the 1870’s and 1880’s in Harper’s Weekly

“a live jackass kicking a dead lion”

“dressed as a lion, scaring away all the animals at the zoo”

stop