Chapter 5 - U.S. Government

U.S. Government
Chapter 5 – Section 1

 Political Party
 Political Spectrum
 Single-member District
 Partisanship
 Plurality
 Bipartisan
 Consensus
 Coalition
 Pluralistic society

 Section Objectives:
 Define a political party
 Describe the major functions of political parties
 6.4 – Understand how the philosophies of liberalism and
conservatism correlate to the two major American
political parties.
 4.4 – Understand the major features of major forms of
government in the world.

 Political Party- group of persons who seek to
control government through the winning of
elections and the holding of public office.
 Major Parties- Republicans and Democrats

 Major function is to nominate or name
candidates for public office.
 Parties inform people, and inspire and
activate their interests and participation in
public affairs.
 Pamphlets, signs, buttons
 Parties make sure that the candidate is
qualified.

 Naming candidates for public office.
 Parties select candidates and send them to
voters.
 Parties then work to help their candidates
win elections.

 Parties try to inspire voters.
 They campaign, stand on issues, and criticize
opponents.
 Try to shape positions that will attract as
many voters as possible.

 Bond is an agreement that protects a person
or company against loss caused by a third
party.
 Political parties act as a “bonding agent” to
ensure the good performance of its
candidates and officeholders.

 United States is government by party.
 Public officeholders are regularly chosen on
the basis of party – which party they belong
to.
 Congress and State Legislatures are
organized along party lines.
 They conduct their business along the basis
of partisanship.

• The executive and legislative branches have
to work together regardless of party.
• Political Parties have played a significant role
in the process of constitutional change.

 Parties act as watchdogs over the conduct of
the public’s business.
 Party in Power- party that controls the
executive branch of the government.

In your opinion, do political parties tend
to unify, or divide, the American people?
Give details behind your opinion.

 This country has a two party system. (a
political system dominated by two major
parties.)

 We will look at why we have a two-party
system.
 Not one explanation alone offers wholly
satisfactory explanation of why we have a
two-party system
 Taken together, however, they present a
persuasive argument.

 The framers were opposed to political
parties.
 George Washington’s view of parties: In his
farewell address he warned people against,
“Baneful effects of the spirit of the party”.
 Constitution makes no mention.
 First two political parties: Federalists and
Anti-Federalists

 In short, the U.S. has a two-party system
because it began that way.

 “Once established, human institutions are
likely to become self-perpetuating.” 1
 The fact that the nation began with a two
party system, is a leading reason for the
retention of a two party system.
 People accept a two party system b/c they
have never known different.
1. McClenaghan, W. Magruder's American Government. 129

 Single-Member Districts- electoral district
from which one person is chosen by the
voters for each elected office.
 Most elections are single member.
 The winning candidate are the ones who
receive a plurality, or the largest number of
votes cast for the office.
 Plurality need not be a majority, which is
more than half of all votes cast.

 Single-Member district patterns work to
discourage minor parties.
 Bipartisan- the two major parties find
common ground and work together.
 Non-major party candidates have made it to
the ballot everywhere in only seven
presidential elections.

• Although the U.S. is a pluralistic society
(made up of many different cultures),
Americans are an ideologically homogeneous
people.
• Americans share many of the same basic beliefs.
• (Examples: Civil right, Human rights,
• Throughout its history, American has not
regularly been plagued by unbridgeable
political division.

 Both parties tend to be moderate, both built
on compromise.

 Multiparty- system which several major and
many lesser parties exist, seriously compete
for, and actually win, public office.
 Parties are based on a particular interest such
as religion, economic class.
 Coalition- temporary alliance of several
groups who come together to form a working
majority and so to control a government.

 In nearly all dictatorships only one political
party is allowed.
 One-Party System = “no party system”

 Each party contains a wide variety of voters.
 African Am., Jews, and Catholics have more
often voted Democrat.
 White males, Protestant, and business
community have been inclined to back the
GOP (Republican Party).

 Group of persons who seek to control
government through the winning of elections
and the holding of public office.
 A. Democrats
 B. Political Party
 C. Coalition

 Strong support of a party and its policy
stands:
 A. Partisanship
 B. Interest Groups
 C. Bipartisan

 Political party without a wide voter support in
this country.
 A. Democrats
 B. Underdog
 C. Minor Party

 Electoral district from which one person is
chosen by the voters for each elected office.
 A. Single-Member District
 B. Bipartisan
 C. Coalition

 Largest number of votes cast for the office.
 A. Majority
 B. Plurality
 C. Pluralistic Society

 Temporary alliance of several groups who
come together to form a working majority
and so to control a government.
 A. Coalition
 B. Consensus
 C. Bipartisan

U.S. Government

 Ideological Parties
 Single-issue Parties
 Economic Protest
Parties
 Splinter Parties
 Incumbent
 Faction
 Spoils sytem
 Electorate
 Sectionalism

 Identify the types of minor parties that have been
active in American politics.
 Understand why minor parties are important despite
the fact that none has ever won the presidency.
conservatism correlate to the two major American
political parties.

 Minor Party – Any one of the many political
parties without wide voter support in the U.S.

 1. Ideological Parties- based on a particular
set of beliefs- a comprehensive view of social,
economic, and political matters.
 Libertarian Party emphasizes individualism and
doing away with the present government’s
functions and programs.
 Others include: Constitution, Socialist, Socialist
Labor, Socialist Workers, and Communist Party

 2. Single-Issue Party -focus on only one public
policy matter.
 Free Soil Party opposed the spread of slavery
 “Know Nothings” opposed Irish Catholic
immigration.
 Unites States Pirate Party- support the abolition
of piracy laws.

 3. Economic Protest Party - rooted in times
of economic unrest, they proclaimed their
disgust with major parties and demanded
better times.
 Greenback Party appealed to struggling farmers
by calling for a free coinage of silver, federal
regulation of railroads, an income tax, and labor
legislation.
 Populists demanded public ownership of
railroads, telephone and telegraph companies,

 Splinter Parties - party that has split away
from one of the major parties.
 Most of the more important minor parties
have been splinter parties.
 Most splinter parties have formed around a
strong personality.
 Examples include: (T. Roosevelt’s) “Bull Moose”
Progressive Party; (Henry Wallace’s) Progressive
Party; (George Wallace’s) American Independent
Party

 Minor parties have still had an impact on
American politics and on major parties.
 It was a minor party that first used the
national convention to nominate their
presidential candidate in 1831.
 The Whigs and Democrats soon followed suit.

 Minor parties can sometimes play a “spoiler”
role in major elections.
 This happens when a minor party pulls away
votes from a major party, which can affect
the outcome of the election.
 This happened in 2000 with the Green Party.
-
So where do political parties fall along the political spe

 On a sheet of paper (each person), list the
results of your political quiz.
 Did you more closely relate with a minor party or
major party?
 Did your results surprise you?

 Want to find out where you fall along the
political spectrum?
 http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz/quiz.php
(World’s Smallest Political Quiz)
 http://www.isidewith.com/political-quiz
(ISideWith.com)*
 http://www.gotoquiz.com/politics/political-spectrum-q
(GoToQuiz.com)

 What does the boxing ring represent?
 Why are Bush and Gore standing next to one
another, facing Nader?
 What does the cartoonist think about Nader’s
chances against Bush and Gore? Give two details
that support your conclusion.
 Did the results of the 2000 election support or
challenge the cartoonist’s view of Nader?

U.S. Government

 Ward
 Precinct
 Split-ticket Voting

 Understand why major parties have a decentralized
structure
 Describe the national party machinery and how parties are
organized at the State and local level
 Identify the three components of the parties.
 Examine the future of the major parties.
conservatism correlate to the two major American political
parties.

 Political parties are decentralized – with no
clear central leadership.
 Fragmented, disjointed, and often plagued with
internal conflict.
 No chain-of-command running from national
to local level
 Usually, they cooperate, but not always.

 President (of the U.S) is automatically the
party leader.
 Party in power usually more organized
 Party out of power has no obvious leader.
 Nominating Process: Nominations are made
within the party. Then fights are made within
the same party. Democrat vs. Democrat

 Handles the parties affairs.
 man and woman chairperson in each state.
 Chairperson is the leader of the national
committee, and directs the work of the
party’s headquarters.
 Each party has a campaign committee in
each house of Congress.
 They make sure that seats given up by
retiring officials remain in the party.

 Party structure is usually set by state law.
 At the state level, political parties are headed by a
state chairperson.
 At the local level, parties organization varies
widely.

 Ward- is a unit into which cities are often
divided for the election of city council
members.
 Precinct- smallest unit of election
administration.

 1. The party organization- party leaders,
activists, and “hangers-on”
 2. The party in the electorate- Party loyalists
who regularly vote for that party.
 3. The party in government- officeholders
who hold office in the ex., legs, or jud.
Branches.

 Weakened state of parties can be explained
by:
 1. drop in the number of voters.
 2. Big increase in split-ticket voting- voting for
candidates of different parties for diff. offices at
the same election.
 3. Changes in party views.
 4. Changes in technology of campaigning for
office.

 Based on a particular set of beliefs- a
comprehensive view of social, economic, and
political matters.
 A. Precinct
 B. Ideological Parties
 C. Economic Parties

 Focus on only one public policy matter.
 A. Splinter Party
 B. Single Issue Party
 C. Greenback Party

 Proclaimed their disgust with major parties
and demanded better times.
 A. Economic Protest Party
 B. Splinter Party
 C. Socialist Party

 Who is automatically the party leader?
 A. Vice President
 B. Spokesperson
 C. President

 Smallest unit of election administration.
 A. Ward
 B. Precinct
 C. Town

Chapter 5 - U.S. Government

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Chapter 5 - U.S. Government