Political Parties (Unit 8, Lesson 1) Flashcards
Political Party
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.
Political views
Political views are a person’s ideas about how the government should run and how the issues facing our country should be solved.
Most countries have this form of political parties
Multi-party systems where three or more parties share power
Form of party system the US has
Two-party system with some minor third parties
Platform
the set of statements describing the party’s views on all the major issues facing the nation.
Why do candidates identify with a party?
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.
Why should the information from a candidate not come from just the candidate?
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.
What can the majority party influence in government?
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.
What is the minority party’s role?
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.
Is joining a political party a requirement?
It is not
Does the Constitution mention political parties?
The Constitution does not mention political parties and they are not an official part of our government.
When did parties begin?
During George Washington’s time
What were Anti-Federalists later known as?
Democratic-Republicans
He was the leader of the Federalists
Alexander Hamilton
He was the leader of the Anti-Federalists/Democratic-Republicans
Thomas Jefferson
What did Washington warn in his Farewell address?
Washington warned Americans that political parties were dangerous because they could divide the nation.
Who headed the Democratic party once it split?
Andrew Jackson
What did Jackson want the federal government to do?
Benefit all, not just the wealthy
When was the Republican party formed?
The present Republican party was formed in 1854 when several small groups that opposed the policies of the Democratic party joined together.
What did Republicans want?
The Republican party was started by people who were against slavery and its spread into U.S. territories.
What is the current Democratic party platform?
Liberal or left-leaning
What is the current Republican party platform?
Conservative or right-leaning
What are Independents?
They have not joined a party
What is the Democrats’ general platform?
Democrats generally believe in a larger government, with more regulations on businesses and an emphasis on social services.
What is the Republicans’ general platform?
Republicans generally believe in smaller government with fewer regulations on the private sector.
What is the main advantage of the two party system?
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.
What is the role of third parties in the US?
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.
How is planning done for parties?
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.
How are members of the national committee chosen?
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.
