Parties (Chapter 7)

Each major political party is comprised of what main groups?

• Party Organisation: The formal structure of the party, including national, state, and local offices.

• Party in Government: Elected officials who belong to the party.

• Party in the Electorate: Citizens who identify with or support the party.

How were the the parties and their supporters were divided by in the sixth party system?

Civil Rights and Social Issues

Loyalty to one party

Party Identification

Who is in charge of each major American political party today?

No one

What is true about minor parties in the U.S?

Generally attract little support in the electorate.

How did political parties in the first party system differ from modern political parties?

They lacked the party organization and the party in the electorate.

The leaders and workers of a party at the national, state, and local levels

The Party Organization

Which important political event led to the New Deal Coalition?

The Greatq Depression

A situation in which the issues that divide the political parties change in a way that cuts across existing political coalitions.

Realignment

Which parties were part of the first party system in the United States?

Democratic-Republicans and Federalists

The principal body in each party organization is the ________, which consists of representatives from ________.

National committee; State party organizations

A group of party members in a legislative body, such as Congress, who meet to coordinate strategy, choose leadership, and discuss party positions on legislation and policy issues.

Caucus (Conference)

The groups that identify with a party are said to make up its ________.

Coalition (Demographic that identify with party)

Organizations created by corporations, unions, or interest groups to raise and spend money to support or oppose political candidates, legislation, or ballot initiatives.

Political Action Committees

A period of political unity following the decline of the Federalist Party, leaving the Democratic-Republican Party as the only major political party in the U.S. This era is associated with a temporary reduction in partisan conflict.

Era of Good Feelings (1815-1825)

Most Independents…

Have an attachment to one of the major parties.

Concept that a political party exists independently of the elected officials who represent it. This means the party as an organization—with its own leadership, rules, and goals—is separate from the politicians who run under its label.

Party Principle.

What was a reason for the rise of the Republican Party?

The issue of slavery split the second party system

The group of Democratic legislators in the U.S. House

Caucus

The group of Republican legislators in the U.S. House

Conference

An election in which voters choose a party’s nominee for the general election. It can be open, closed, or semi-closed, depending on state rules about who can vote.

Primary Election