Political Parties
Drill 9/26 What political party do you identify with? Why?
Objective: SWBAT Identify and analyze the origins and purpose of political parties in America
What IS a Political Party? A group of persons who seek control of government through the winning of elections and the holding of public office
Political Parties Major Parties Each party is a coalition of people The most common/ powerful parties Republicans, Democrats Each party is a coalition of people A union of diverse views who come together to get candidates in office
What do parties do? The Nominating Function Naming candidates for public office The Informer-Stimulator Function Educate people on issues and get people involved in public affairs
“Seal of Approval Function” If a party selects you, then you have been approved by the party to have that position Governmental Function Lower level government officeholders are regularly appointed on the basis of party
Origins of Political Parties Where do they come from? People have ideas, people share ideas with other people In time, people with like ideas become a group and it grows and grows
CW: BCR In the Federalist #10, James Madison writes about the dangers of political “faction” in America. He goes as far to say that it could ruin the republic. Is Madison right? Can political parties go to far? Can political factions ruin us, or are parties just a harmless necessity in our system?
Drill 9/29 Debate issues: What were some of the key issues talked about in the Presidential Debate? How do you feel the candidates did?
Objective: SWBAT Analyze the evolution of the two party system in America Analyze party interactions on key issues
Minor Political Parties Minor parties have almost no chance of actually winning Most of their candidates know this Then why bother?
Minor parties Raise key questions and issues Challenge major parties to address things they might otherwise overlook They can be “spoilers” if they get big enough
Types of minor parties Ideological Parties based on a particular set of beliefs Communist, Socialist, Libertarian Single-Issue Parties that revolve around one particular idea or belief Free Soil Party, American (“Know-Nothing”) party
Types of Minor Parties Economic Protest Splinter parties Born out of difficult economic times. Focused distrust of whichever economic force is failing. Populist party, The “Greenback” party Splinter parties Parties that split away from the major parties due to disagreements over key issues Reform party (R), American Independent (D), Bull Moose Party (R)
Major Party Timeline The USA has gone through many “eras” in its history. Each era was defined by single party domination Beginning with the Federalists in 1787-1800 create a timeline of these eras
Starting on page 110 With each era include the following: Three Presidents associated with that era Three major issues/ events or changes in party policy A short explanation of the significance of this time period in political history What did they do? Why were they important?
Drill 9/30 What purpose do minor parties serve in American political life? What are the four types of minor party?
Drill 9/30 Ideological Single-Issue Economic Protest Splinter
Objective: SWBAT Analyze the evolution of the major political parties through US history
Starting on page 110 With each era include the following: Three Presidents associated with that era Three major issues/ events or changes in party policy A short explanation of the significance of this time period in political history What did they do? Why were they important?
Drill 10/1 Define the following: Plurality Multi-party system Pluralism
Pluralism A culture consisting of many different and distinct groups The United States is a pluralistic society So why only two parties?
Objective: SWBAT Investigate the structure of political parties in America Compare the system of Federalism in America to the structure of Political Parties
“I don’t belong to an organized political party, I’m a democrat” -Will Rogers
The Organization of Parties In reality parties are not well organized The national party communicates ideas and issues to lower levels Lower levels SHOULD work with the national party, but this is not always the case Honestly, there is a lot of bickering
Role of the Presidency The President automatically acts as the leader of his party GW Bush is the “leader” of the Republican party Rarely does the party break with the President en-masse
The Role of Federalism Federalism acts as a DECENTRALIZING force The movement of power away from the executive and dividing it among departments and people
Classwork: Guided Reading Use Chapter 5 section 5 (pg 118) to complete the guided reading assignment This will be collected at the end of class
Recap Are you happy with major parties as they stand today? What would you change? What would you have them do differently?
Drill 10/2 What is the role of President in regards to his/ her party? What acts as a “decentralizing” force on the party’s structure
Role of the Presidency The President automatically acts as the leader of his party GW Bush is the “leader” of the Republican party Rarely does the party break with the President en-masse
The Role of Federalism Federalism acts as a DECENTRALIZING force The movement of power away from the executive and dividing it among departments and people
Objective: SWBAT Analyze the effectiveness of positive and negative political commercials
Today: We are going to watch 10 political TV commercials from different eras As we watch you are to record the following information: The name of the AD The candidate that created it Is it a positive/ negative ad? Do you feel that this ad was/ is effective?