The two major political parties: Republican Party and
Democratic Party
Slide 2
What is a political party? A political party is a group of
people with similar political views that want to promote their
ideas, get their candidates elected to office, and control
government. The United States government has been controlled by two
political parties for 150 years. The Democratic Party and the
Republican Party are the two major political parties.
Slide 3
Why a Two-Party System? The two-party system is rooted in the
beginning of the nation itself. The ratification of the
Constitution brought about the birth of the nations first two
political parties: the Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, and
the Anti- Federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson. In short, the
American political party system began as a two-party system.
Slide 4
Why a Two-Party System? The Federalist Party believed in a
strong national government. They were supported by wealthy people
who controlled the nations banks and manufacturing industry. The
Anti-Federalist Party opposed a strong national government. They
were supported by shopkeepers, laborers, farmers and planters.
Slide 5
Why a Two-Party System? The framers of the Constitution
believed political parties were factions, and therefore they would
divide the nation. George Washington warned of this in his Farewell
Address in 1796. Little did the framers of the Constitution know
that the two major political parties would tend to choose
middle-of-the-road positions on issues, which help to unify rather
than divide the nation.
Slide 6
Why a Two-Party System? Once established, human institutions
are likely to become self-perpetuating. So it has been with the
two-party system. Today, most Americans accept a two-party system
because there has always been one. Their support for this system is
a principal reason why challenges to the system by minor political
parties, for example have made so little headway.
Slide 7
Why a Two-Party System? The United States is a pluralistic
society a society consisting of several distinct cultures and
groups. The members of various ethnic, racial, religious, and other
social groups compete for and share in the exercise of political
power. Still, there is a broad consensus a general agreement among
various groups on fundamental issues.
Slide 8
Why a Two-Party System? That is not to say that Americans have
always agreed with one another. Far from it. The nation has been
deeply divided at times: during the Civil War and Great Depression,
for example. Still, the nation has not been regularly harmed by
sharp and uncompromising political divisions. The United States has
been free of long-lasting, bitter disputes based on economic class,
social status, religious beliefs and national origin.
Slide 9
Why a Two-Party System? Those conditions that could result in
several strong rival political parties do not exist in the United
States. In short, the realities of American society and politics do
not cause a need for more than the two major political parties. The
need for reaching broad consensus on issues requires the two major
parties to be moderate to take positions in the middle of the
road.
Slide 10
Era of the Democrats: 1800-1860 Thomas Jeffersons election in
1800 marked the beginning of a period of Democratic Party
domination that was to last until the Civil War. Thomas
Jefferson1801-1809 James Madison1809-1817 James Monroe1817-1825
Andrew Jackson1829-1837 Martin Van Buren1837-1841 James
Polk1845-1849 Franklin Pierce1853-1857 James Buchanan1857-1861
Slide 11
Era of the Republicans: 1860-1932 The Civil War marked the
beginning of Republican Party domination for the next 72 years.
They were supported by financial and business interests, farmers,
laborers and newly freed African Americans. Abraham
Lincoln1861-1865 (Assassinated) Andrew Johnson1865-1869 Ulysses
Grant1869-1877 Rutherford Hayes1877-1881 James Garfield1881-1881
(Assassinated) Chester Arthur1881-1885
Slide 12
Era of the Republicans: 1860-1932 Grover Cleveland1885-1889
Benjamin Harrison1889-1893 Grover Cleveland1893-1897 William
McKinley1897-1901 (Assassinated) Theodore Roosevelt1901-1909
William Taft1909-1913 Woodrow Wilson1913-1921 Warren
Harding1921-1923 (Died in office) Calvin Coolidge1923-1929 Hebert
Hoover1929-1933
Slide 13
Return of the Democrats: 1932-1968 The Great Depression, which
began in 1929, resulted in the 1932 election of Franklin Roosevelt
and the Democratic Partys return to power. Their new electoral base
was made up of small farmers, southerners, organized labor,
big-city political organizations and African Americans. Franklin
Roosevelt1933-1945 (Died in office) Harry Truman1945-1953 Dwight
Eisenhower1953-1961 John Kennedy1961-1963 (Assassinated) Lyndon
Johnson1963-1969
Slide 14
Era of Divided Government: 1968 to Now Richard Nixons election
in 1968 began an era of divided government in which neither of the
two major political parties dominated the political landscape.
Richard Nixon1969-1974 (Resigned) Gerald Ford1974-1977 Jimmy
Carter1977-1981 Ronald Reagan1981-1989 George H.W. Bush1989-1993
Bill Clinton1993-2001 George W. Bush2001-2009 Barack Obama2009-
?
Slide 15
The Republican Party The Republican Party was formed in 1854 by
Abraham Lincoln and stemmed from the debate on whether or not to
expand slavery into the new Western territories. With Lincolns
election in 1860, the Republican Party became the only political
party in the history of American politics to go from third-party to
major-party status.
Slide 16
Abraham Lincoln
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The Democratic Party The Democratic Party was formed in 1792 by
Thomas Jefferson as a way to promote the Bill of Rights and oppose
the Federalist Partys belief in a strong, central government. Its
original name was the Anti-Federalist Party but six years later was
changed to Democratic- Republican Party. Andrew Jacksons election
in 1828 was the first time it was called The Democratic Party. His
supporters were a coalition of small farmers, frontier pioneers and
slaveholders.
Slide 20
Thomas Jefferson
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Slide 23
What do the two major parties believe? Each political party
believes that their ways of governing are the best way to lead the
country to health and prosperity. The Democrats believe in
liberalism and the Republicans believe in conservatism.
Slide 24
Party allegiance or The Base Republican Party White males
Protestants Business people Rural and suburban voters 2/3rds have
allegiance to the party of their parents Democratic Party African
Americans and Latinos Catholics and Jews Union members Big city
voters 2/3rds have allegiance to the party of their parents
Slide 25
What are the differences? Republicans Believe people should
take care of themselves without government help. Support employers
on economic, tax and workplace issues. Believe in government
restrictions on abortion and gay marriage. Support the
de-regulation of business, such as allowing off-shore oil drilling.
Democrats Believe some people cant take care of themselves and need
government help. Support employees on economic, tax and workplace
issues. Believe in personal choice on abortion and gay marriage.
Support the regulation of business, such as restrictions on
off-shore oil drilling.
Slide 26
What are the differences? Republicans Want to lower taxes on
everyone, not just poor people. Support more spending on the
military but less spending on social programs. Believe in allowing
parents to send children to the school of their choice and paying
for that with vouchers. Believe affordable health care is a
privilege that people should pay for on their own. Democrats Want
to lower taxes on poor people and raise taxes on the wealthy.
Support less spending on the military but more spending on social
programs. Believe in more spending for public schools and oppose
parental choice and the use of vouchers to pay for it. Believe
affordable health care is a right that people should pay for with
help from the government.
Slide 27
The National Convention The Republican and Democratic national
conventions meet in the summer of every presidential election year
to nominate their Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates.
They also adopt the party rules and platform.