Political Parties (Unit 8, Lesson 1)

Question 1

Political Party

Answer 1

A political party is an organized group of people who share similar political views and work to influence the government in support of those views.

Question 2

Political views

Answer 2

Political views are a person’s ideas about how the government should run and how the issues facing our country should be solved.

Question 3

Most countries have this form of political parties

Answer 3

Multi-party systems where three or more parties share power

Question 4

Form of party system the US has

Answer 4

Two-party system with some minor third parties

Question 5

Platform

Answer 5

the set of statements describing the party’s views on all the major issues facing the nation.

Question 6

Why do candidates identify with a party?

Answer 6

By doing this, a candidate gains support from the political party and makes it easier for voters to figure out what the candidate believes in.

Question 7

Why should the information from a candidate not come from just the candidate?

Answer 7

all the information a political party distributes is biased toward its own views. That means information from political parties should not be your only source of information about candidates and issues.

Question 8

What can the majority party influence in government?

Answer 8

The majority party—the one with the most elected members—can most easily influence laws and policy by getting all its members to vote the same way on a bill.

Question 9

What is the minority party’s role?

Answer 9

Meanwhile, the minority party works to promote the views of its supporters by forcing compromise with the majority party. If the minority party is successful, this can create laws that are balanced between the two parties’ viewpoints.

Question 10

Is joining a political party a requirement?

Answer 10

It is not

Question 11

Does the Constitution mention political parties?

Answer 11

The Constitution does not mention political parties and they are not an official part of our government.

Question 12

When did parties begin?

Answer 12

During George Washington’s time

Question 13

What were Anti-Federalists later known as?

Answer 13

Democratic-Republicans

Question 14

He was the leader of the Federalists

Answer 14

Alexander Hamilton

Question 15

He was the leader of the Anti-Federalists/Democratic-Republicans

Answer 15

Thomas Jefferson

Question 16

What did Washington warn in his Farewell address?

Answer 16

Washington warned Americans that political parties were dangerous because they could divide the nation.

Question 17

Who headed the Democratic party once it split?

Answer 17

Andrew Jackson

Question 18

What did Jackson want the federal government to do?

Answer 18

Benefit all, not just the wealthy

Question 19

When was the Republican party formed?

Answer 19

The present Republican party was formed in 1854 when several small groups that opposed the policies of the Democratic party joined together.

Question 20

What did Republicans want?

Answer 20

The Republican party was started by people who were against slavery and its spread into U.S. territories.

Question 21

What is the current Democratic party platform?

Answer 21

Liberal or left-leaning

Question 22

What is the current Republican party platform?

Answer 22

Conservative or right-leaning

Question 23

What are Independents?

Answer 23

They have not joined a party

Question 24

What is the Democrats’ general platform?

Answer 24

Democrats generally believe in a larger government, with more regulations on businesses and an emphasis on social services.

Question 25

What is the Republicans’ general platform?

Answer 25

Republicans generally believe in smaller government with fewer regulations on the private sector.

Question 26

What is the main advantage of the two party system?

Answer 26

When one party fails to please a majority of voters, there is another strong party ready to take over. The newly elected party often tries different programs and policies in dealing with the nation’s problems.

Question 27

What is the role of third parties in the US?

Answer 27

Often, they take votes away from one of the major parties, allowing the other side to win. Third parties also force candidates to debate on issues they would rather not.

Question 28

How is planning done for parties?

Answer 28

The planning for each political party is done through a series of committees. Each political party has a national committee and state central committees in each state. Each party also has local committees at the county, city, and sometimes township levels.

Question 29

How are members of the national committee chosen?

Answer 29

Members of the national committee may be chosen in three ways. They may be elected by a state convention, elected by voters in a statewide election, or chosen by the state central committee.