1. How did factions emerge in United State politics?
Political Parties
How did factions emerge in United State politics?

2. Do Now:
Please grab and handout, read the excerpt, and respond to the question in your groups.

3. What message is this chart trying to convey to voters?

4. What is the Purpose of a Political Party?
A political party’s main purpose is to…
-Gain majority party control of government
-Political Parties accomplish this by…
- Nominating candidates for office
- Coordinating campaigns
- Providing cues for voters
- Articulating policies
- Coordinating policy-making

5. What are the main goals of political parties?
Raise money
Educate voters
Recruit candidates
Organize the government
* A political party is NOT a special interest group!

7. Democrats
Formally known as the Democratic-Republican Party
Also formally know as “Republican”
DONKEY (ASS)
“Vote Democratic because the Ass you save may be your own”
BLUE STATE
more LIBERAL
Republicans
Also known as the “GOP” Grand Old Party YET “younger” of the 2 parties as it formed in the 1850’s
First Republican president was Abraham Lincoln
ELEPHANT
RED STATE
more CONSERVATIVE

8. Why a two-party system? Historical Basis!
Federalists and Antifederalists
The Electoral System!
single -member districts (only one representative/district)
Winner-takes-all and plurality voting system
Discourages minor parties from forming and becoming powerful!

9. Why not a multi-party system?
People complain all the time that there aren’t more parties to represent more views!
BUT there are some problems with Multi-party systems!
Positive aspects - more broad and diverse representation of the electorate
Negative aspects - one party is unable to win the majority by themselves and so must form a coalition anyways with other parties
Coalitions can collapse or dissolve making the government vulnerable (BREXIT)

10. BUT our system is far from perfect…

11. How does this chart demonstrate a growing divide between the parties?

12. How does this demonstrate a divide?

15. DISCUSS!
How can the increasing divide be problematic for our government?
What are some strategies that we could use to address this issue?