3rd Period Notes: Tuesday 10/14

sorry if i spelled anything wrong, hope this helps everyone!!
Maria :)


end of Chapter 7:
527's: segment in tax codes that allows groups that want to support a political party to give large amounts of money.

Chapter 8:
polictical parties are an essential component of democratic gov't
(1.) Citizens main avenue of participation in gov't is through voting in elections.
A: a political party is an organization that sponsors candidates for public office under the org. name.
B: both the candidate and the organization acknowledge the same label and the label conveys a significant meaning throughout the electorate.
C: Interset groups may support candidates but never sponsor them as their avowed representatives.

(2.) 5 Functions of the Political System: political parties...
A: are linkage institutions that connect people in a large democracy to the government. parties increase political efficacy by helping citizens to make sense of government decisions and processes and to feel that the government listens to them.
B: they nominate candidates for election to public office, ensuring minimum qualifications of candidate through the peer review process.
C: structure the voting choice in elections reducing the number of candidates on the ballot
D: propose alternative government programs by helping voters choose between policies and personalities.
E: coordinate the actions of government officials, and help to bridge separation of powers.

American politics has a long and complex history!
(1.) Parties weren't mentioned in the Constitution and didn't exist in any recognizable form in the pre-party period, which lasted through Washington's first term.
(2.) The first party pitted the Federalists, led by Hamilton. Federalists represented urban, business-oriented men who favored elitism and a strong central government ( they favored the bank of the u.s.). The Democratic-Republicans (led by Jefferson) favored strong state gov't, rural interests and a weaker central gov't (opposed thebank).
(3.) Second party system involved what became the Democratic/Whig parties after the Federalist ceased to exist by 1820 and the Democratic-Republicans had split into factions by 1824.
A: Democratic party originated in 1828 among Southeners and Westerners who supported Andrew Jackson. They ushered in universal manhood suffrage and gained the support of rural anti-bank, small farmers from the South and West.
B: Whigs 1834- opposed President Jackson. Wealthy Southeners, Not a very solid party.
(4.) Todays party syytem came along in the 1850's.
Critical Elections: elections that produces a very sharp change in party loyalty among voters and lasting electoral realignment. Exceptions of Wilson and Cleveland- Republicans controlled the presidency from 1860 to 1933.
(5.) Nixon Presidency brought a divided govt. 1 party holding presidency and other party controlling Congress.

Why does the U.S. have a two party system?
(1.) many minor parties in American history
A: Bolter Parties: have been formed by factions that split from one of the major parties- George Wallaces American Independent Party.
B: Farmer-Labor parties such as the Populist Party
C: Parties of ideological protest such as Libertarian and Socialist Parties
D: Single-issue parties like Prohibition Party
E: Minor parties ahvent fared particularily well as vote getters, though the prescence of alternative president candidates (Ralph Nader, 2000) impacted those elections
F: minor parties may preform their most useful funcation as safety vlaves for the political system, allowing discontented groups to argue for their policies within the political system
(2.) For several reasons, only 2 parties have alternated in power in the US for more than 125 years
A: electoral system- twin principleas of single winners chosen by a simple plurality vote (most important reason). it tends to encourage competition between only two parties for political office within each electoral district. Winner has to have only one more vote than his/her competitor
B: importance of the Presidency causes diverse groups across the nation to coalesce into the same 2 parties within each state.
C: only those two parties dominate comtemporary elections because of their historical claims on citizens loyalties.