NAME DATE BLOCK The American Citizen Study Guide Chapter 10: Political Parties Score: points out of possible Section 1: Political Parties Play Many Roles What are the main questions answered in this section? 1) 2) According to political scientist Clinton Rossiter, democratic government in American won t work without political parties groups of citizens who are organized to do three things 3) 4) 5) 6) According to the discussion in class, how are interest groups different from political parties? What are the most important functions of political parties? 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) Outside of government, political parties play other, equally important roles in our system 12) 13) 14)
Section 2: Two Parties Dominate American Politics What main questions will be answered in this section? 15) 16) 17) Most countries governments can be classified as having one-party, multi-party, or two-party systems. What are five main characteristics of one-party systems? 18) 19) 20) 21) 22) What are four common characteristics of multi-party political systems? 23) 24) 25) 26) The two-party political system is rare, has its roots in 27) politics, and are found almost entirely in 28) - speaking countries. America s first two political parties were founded in 1796 by supporters of John Adams and admirers of Thomas Jefferson. What were the names of the first two parties? 29) 30) 31) Since what year have Democrats and Republicans dominated Congress and the presidency? 2
The U.S. has such a stable two-party system because of a combination of four major factors that created the system and gave it the strength to last 32) 33) 34) 35) Despite their handicaps, minor parties play important roles 36) they serve as 37) they have often 38) major parties adopt 39) Third party or minor party sometimes compete successfully because of a candidate s personal popularity such was the case when (name) who ran for President as leader of the Bull Moose, or Progressive Party. Sometimes third parties compete successfully because of an issue that splits a major party; such was the case with these third parties 40) the Party in the late 1800s 41) Robert LaFollette s Party in the early 1900s 42) George Wallace s Party in the 1960s Some third parties have been spoilers they prevent one of the major party candidates from winning an election; such was the case with these elections 43) in 1912, Theodore Roosevelt s Bull Moose Party supporters prevented Republican (name) from winning re-election 44) in 1968, George Wallace s racist white southern supporters helped Republican (name) win the presidency 45) supporters helped elect Republican George W. Bush and defeat Democrat Al Gore in 2000 Some political parties based on issues have found some success in our political history including, before the Civil War, these two political parties founded around the issue of abolishing slavery 46) Party 47 Party 3
48) Before 1900, an anti-immigration, racist, nativist, anti-catholic political party, popularly called the Party, attracted some of the redneck vote. 49) True or False (circle one) The Prohibition Party is still active and running candidates for office, today. The Greenback Party in the late 1800s called for what three things, that were eventually adopted by the Democratic Party? 50) 51) 52) The Populist Party in the late 1800s called for what three things, that were eventually adopted by the Democratic Party? 53) 54) 55) The U.S. political system has also seen the rise of minor ideological parties, with far-left or far-right views on major issues and often, they advocate far-reaching changes in society. What do these two left-wing ideological parties advocate? 56) the Communist Party advocates 57) the Socialist Party advocates What do these two right-wing ideological parties advocate? 58) the Libertarian Party stresses 59) the American Nazi Party advocates 4
Some third parties form when disagreements within a major party become so serious that a group splits off, or splinters including these splinter parties 60) in 1948, racist segregationist Strom Thurmond s Party 61) also in 1948, Henry Wallace s Party Some minor parties successfully establish a base in a single state and may elect state officials and even members of Congress examples include these two 62) the Conservative and Liberal parties in 63) the Party in Minnesota Section 3: Politics Are Part of American History What main questions are answered in this section? 64) 65) 66) The Federalist Party was founded by (name) when he took on the job of creating a coalition among various factions to support President Washington s political agenda. 67) The Federalist Party grew out of the group of people who supported the ratification of the in 1787-1788. The Federalist Party advocated three main things, at first 68) 69) 70) The Federalist Party was supported by what three main groups? 71) 72) 73) 74) Opponents of the Federalist Party s plans found a natural leader in (name), whose supporters eventually became the nation's second political party. 75) What was the name of the second U.S. political party? 5
What were the main groups in society that supported the second political party? 76) 78) 77) What did the second U.S. political party advocate, or favor, at its beginning? 79) 80 81) In the election of 1796, John Adams became the first and only Federalist Party President of the U.S. Who was his Vice President/ 82) The election of 1800 was an extremely important presidential election in our political history, partly because it was the first election finally settled by what elected group of officials? 83) The results of the Election of 1800 was a party re-alignment from this point on, which political party dominated national politics until the Civil War? 84) Because of the chaos of the presidential election in 1800, a constitutional amendment was passed, changing the manner in which presidents are elected by the Electoral College. Which amendment was this? (number) 85) The presidential election of 1824 was not settled by the Electoral College no one candidate got a majority of the votes, there although Democratic Party candidate Andrew Jackson had the most votes, who won the presidency? 86) Which political party finally emerged in the period before the Civil War to oppose the Democratic Party?. Which two Presidents were elected from this short-lived political party? 87) 88) 89) In the decade before the Civil War, a new coalition of anti-slavery groups created a new political party, and ran its first presidential candidate in 1856 what party was this? 90) Who was this new party s presidential candidate in 1856? 91) Who was this new party s presidential candidate in 1860? 92) After the Civil War, which political party became dominant in the northern states of America? 93) After the Civil War, which political party came to dominate the southern states? 6
94) What was this situation in the South called, for the next century? 95) Beginning in the 1880s, what nickname was applied to the Republican Party? 96) Between 1860 and 1932, there were only two Democratic Party presidents. Who were they? 97) How did the election of Franklin Roosevelt in 1932 change the balance between parties for several decades? 98) The election of Franklin Roosevelt in 1932, and his re-election three more times, were possible because of the New Deal Coalition of seven groups of voters; what groups were they? 99) In the presidential election of 1968, Republican Richard Nixon successfully used his Southern Strategy to get himself elected. What was his strategy all about? 100) Since 1968, there has been a population shift in the U.S. Describe it briefly, here. 101) Politically, what has been the result of the growth in population in the Sun Belt since the end of World War Two? (what ideological group has gained a lot more power?) Section 4: How Do Democrats and Republicans Differ? What main questions are answered in this section? 102) 103) The strength of America s two-party system comes from major qualities shared by both Republicans and Democrats 104) 105) 106) 7
107) Most American political parties are broker parties. What does this mean? 108) Some of America s parties are highly ideological devoted to a particular system of political attitudes they seek converts or followers more than votes. What is the term for such parties? America s two national political parties are made up of two parts. What are they? 109) 110) 111) One of the responsibilities of the national political parties is to develop the party s platform. What is this? 112) One of the differences between our two major political parties is that one party s coalition tends to be much more alike than the other party s. Which party s coalition tends to be very WASP? 113) When it comes to policy differences, the central issue between America s two parties is 114) Democrats tend to favor. 115) Republicans usually lean toward. 116) When it comes to trends in party politics, fewer voters are choosing to vote a "straight ticket" today. What does this mean? 117) Most voters are choosing to vote a "split ticket" today. What does this mean? 118) Polls indicate a shift among voters away from allegiance to a single party, increasing the number of "independents." What are independents? 119) There has been a significant decline in the number of government jobs awarded to persons because of their support of a candidate or political party that wins an election. What is this (very traditional) practice of awarding employment called? 120) Most government jobs are awarded, today, on the basis of "merit employment." What does this mean? (286) 8