1 / 22

S E C T I O N 2

S E C T I O N 2. The Two-party System. The nation has had two strong parties since America’s beginning. Most Americans support the two party system because it has always existed, as a result minor parties have made little headway. Chapter 5, Section 2.

gaurav
Download Presentation

S E C T I O N 2

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. S E C T I O N 2 The Two-party System

  2. The nation has had two strong parties since America’s beginning. • Most Americans support the two party system because it has always existed, as a result minor parties have made little headway Chapter 5, Section 2

  3. The electoral system has several features that enable only two parties to compete. • Minor parties often find it difficult to flourish because election laws have been written by officials who are members of the major parties. Chapter 5, Section 2

  4. The electoral system and its use of single-member districts help preserve the two-party system • Americans tend to agree on fundamental issues • the major parties take moderate stands on issues to attract the most voters Chapter 5, Section 2

  5. Multi-Party Systems • System where parties represent a variety of class, religious, sectional, and political interests, often making government unstable Chapter 5, Section 2

  6. One-Party Systems • Nearly all dictatorships have a one-party system, in the US, many areas have been dominated by one party. • In recent years, two-party competition has spread. Chapter 5, Section 2

  7. Membership of the Parties • Membership is voluntary and composed of a cross-section of the population • Some segments of the electorate tend to support one party or the other Chapter 5, Section 2

  8. Democrats African-Americans Catholics Jews Union members Republicans White males Protestants Business community Groups that support parties

  9. Factors that shape party membership • Party of parents • Economic status • Place of residence • Education • Work environment

  10. S E C T I O N 3 The Two-Party System in American History

  11. The first American political parties were the Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton Chapter 5, Section 3

  12. and the Democratic-Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson

  13. Federalists • The party of the rich and well born • Favored strong executive • Believed in liberal interpretation of the Constitution

  14. Democrat-Republicans • Sympathetic to the common man. • Favored limited role for national gov’t. • Believed in a strict interpretation of the Constitution.

  15. Federalists liberal constructionists (broad interpretation) • Democrat-Republicans strict constructionists (narrow interpretation)

  16. The Eras of One-Party Domination

  17. The Era of the Democrats, 1800-1860 • A coalition of farmers, planters, debtors, and pioneers backed the Democrats, led by Andrew Jackson • opposed by • Federalists • Whigs • Republicans

  18. The Era of the Republicans, 1860-1932 • Republicans dominated, supported by Northern and Western farmers, financial and business interests, and African Americans • Democrats during this period controlled the "Solid South," and rebuilt national support from that base

  19. The Return of the Democrats, 1932-1968 • During the Great Depression, FDR built a new Democratic coalition, based on the support of Southerners, small farmers, organized labor, minorities, and big-city political organizations

  20. The New Deal marked a fundamental shift in the public's attitude toward big governments role in social and economic life

  21. The New Era 1968-2000 • Elections since 1968 have marked a shift toward conservative public policies • Marked by divided gov’t., where the Congress is controlled by the party not in the White House

  22. Today? • Country is leaning more to liberalism • White House and Congress controlled by Democrats

More Related