Republican Party and Democratic Party What is a political party A political party is a group of people with similar political views that want to promote their ideas get their candidates elected to office and control government ID: 473499
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Slide1
The two major political parties: Republican Party and Democratic PartySlide2
What is a political party?A political party is a group of people with similar political views that want to promote their ideas, get their candidates elected to office, and control government.
The United States government has been controlled by two political parties for 150 years.
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party are the two major political parties. Slide3
Why a Two-Party System?The two-party system is rooted in the beginning of thenation itself.
The ratification of the Constitution brought about the
birth of the nation’s first two political parties: the
Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, and the Anti-
Federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson.
In short, the American political party system began as a
two-party system.Slide4
Why a Two-Party System?The Federalist Party –
believed in a strong national
government. They were supported by wealthy people
who controlled the nation’s banks and manufacturing
industry.
The Anti-Federalist Party –
opposed a strong national
government. They were supported by shopkeepers,
laborers, farmers and planters.Slide5
Why a Two-Party System?The framers of the Constitution believed politicalparties were “factions,” and therefore they would
divide the nation. George Washington warned of this
in his Farewell Address in 1796.
Little did
the framers of the Constitution
know
that
the
two
major
political parties
would tend to
choose
“middle-of-the-road” positions
on issues, which help
to
unify
rather
than divide
the nation.Slide6
Why a Two-Party System?Once established, human institutions are likely tobecome self-perpetuating. So it has been with the
two-party system.
Today, most Americans accept a two-party system
because there has always been one.
Their support for this system is a principal reason why
challenges to the system – by minor political parties,
for example – have made so little headway.Slide7
Why a Two-Party System?The United States is a pluralistic society
– a society
consisting of several distinct cultures and groups.
The members of various ethnic, racial, religious, and
other social groups compete for and share in the
exercise of political power. Still, there is a
broad
consensus
– a general agreement among various
groups on fundamental issues.Slide8
Why a Two-Party System?That is not to say that Americans have always agreedwith one another. Far from it. The nation has been
deeply divided at times: during the Civil War and Great
Depression, for example.
Still, the nation has not been regularly harmed by sharp
and uncompromising political divisions. The United
States has been free of long-lasting, bitter disputes
based on economic class, social status, religious beliefs
and national origin.Slide9
Why a Two-Party System?Those conditions that could result in several strong rivalpolitical parties do not exist in the United States. In
short, the realities of American society and politics
do not cause a need for more than the two major
political parties.
The need for reaching broad consensus on issues
requires the two major parties to be
moderate
– to
take positions “in the middle of the road.”Slide10
Era of the Democrats: 1800-1860Thomas Jefferson’s election in 1800 marked the
beginning of a period of Democratic Party domination
that was to last until the Civil War.
Thomas Jefferson 1801-1809
James Madison 1809-1817
James Monroe 1817-1825
Andrew Jackson 1829-1837
Martin Van Buren 1837-1841
James Polk 1845-1849
Franklin Pierce 1853-1857
James Buchanan 1857-1861Slide11
Era of the Republicans: 1860-1932The Civil War marked the beginning of Republican Party
domination for the next 72 years. They were supported
by financial and business interests, farmers, laborers
and newly freed African Americans.
Abraham Lincoln 1861-1865 (Assassinated)
Andrew Johnson 1865-1869
Ulysses Grant 1869-1877
Rutherford Hayes 1877-1881
James Garfield 1881-1881 (Assassinated)
Chester Arthur 1881-1885Slide12
Era of the Republicans: 1860-1932
Grover Cleveland 1885-1889
Benjamin Harrison 1889-1893
Grover Cleveland 1893-1897
William McKinley 1897-1901 (Assassinated)
Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909
William Taft 1909-1913
Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921
Warren Harding 1921-1923 (Died in office)
Calvin Coolidge 1923-1929
Hebert Hoover 1929-1933Slide13
Return of the Democrats: 1932-1968The Great Depression, which began in 1929, resulted in
the 1932 election of Franklin Roosevelt and the Democratic
Party’s return to power. Their new electoral base was made up
of small farmers, southerners, organized labor, big-city political
organizations and African Americans.
Franklin Roosevelt 1933-1945 (Died in office)
Harry Truman 1945-1953
Dwight Eisenhower 1953-1961
John Kennedy 1961-1963 (Assassinated)
Lyndon Johnson 1963-1969Slide14
Era of Divided Government: 1968 to NowRichard Nixon’s election in 1968 began an era of dividedgovernment in which neither of the two major political parties
dominated the political landscape.
Richard Nixon 1969-1974 (Resigned)
Gerald Ford 1974-1977
Jimmy Carter 1977-1981
Ronald Reagan 1981-1989
George H.W. Bush 1989-1993
Bill Clinton 1993-2001
George W. Bush 2001-2009
Barack Obama 2009- ?Slide15
The Republican Party
The Republican Party was formed in 1854 by Abraham Lincoln and stemmed from the debate on whether or not to expand slavery into the new Western territories.
With Lincoln’s election in 1860, the Republican Party became the only political party in the history of American politics to go from third-party to major-party status.Slide16
Abraham LincolnSlide17Slide18Slide19
The Democratic Party
The Democratic Party was formed in 1792 by Thomas Jefferson as a way to promote the Bill of Rights and oppose the Federalist Party’s belief in a strong, central government.
Its original name was the Anti-Federalist Party but six years later was changed to Democratic-Republican Party.
Andrew Jackson’s election in 1828 was the first time it was called The Democratic Party. His supporters were a coalition of small farmers, frontier pioneers and slaveholders.Slide20
Thomas JeffersonSlide21Slide22Slide23
What do the two major parties believe?Each political party believes that their ways of governing are the best way to lead the country to health and prosperity.
The Democrats believe in liberalism and the Republicans believe in conservatism.Slide24
Party allegiance or “The Base”Republican Party
White males
Protestants
Business people
Rural and suburban voters
2/3rds have allegiance to the party of their parents
Democratic Party
African Americans and Latinos
Catholics and Jews
Union members
Big city voters
2/3rds have allegiance to the party of their parentsSlide25
What are the differences?Republicans…
Believe people should take care of
themselves without government help.
Support employers on economic, tax and
workplace issues.
Believe in government restrictions on
abortion and gay marriage.
Support the de-regulation of business,
such as allowing off-shore oil drilling.
Democrats…
Believe some people can’t take care of
themselves and need government help.
Support employees on economic, tax and
workplace issues.
Believe in personal choice on abortion
and gay marriage.
Support the regulation of business, such
as restrictions on off-shore oil drilling.Slide26
What are the differences?Republicans…
Want to lower taxes on everyone, not
just poor people.
Support more spending on the military
but less spending on social programs.
Believe in allowing parents to send
children to the school of their choice and
paying for that with vouchers.
Believe affordable health care is a
privilege that people should pay for on
their own.
Democrats…
Want to lower taxes on poor people and
raise taxes on the wealthy.
Support less spending on the military but
more spending on social programs.
Believe in more spending for public
schools and oppose parental choice and
the use of vouchers to pay for it.
Believe affordable health care is a right
that people should pay for
with help
from
the government.Slide27
The National ConventionThe Republican and Democratic national conventionsmeet in the summer of every presidential election year
to nominate their Presidential and Vice-Presidential
candidates.
They also adopt the party rules and platform.Slide28Slide29Slide30Slide31Slide32Slide33Slide34Slide35Slide36Slide37Slide38Slide39Slide40Slide41Slide42
Reince Priebus
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Republican Chairman
Democratic ChairwomanSlide43
Rush LimbaughSlide44
Glen BeckSlide45
Ann CoulterSlide46
Newt GingrichSlide47
Bill O’ReillySlide48
Sean HannitySlide49
Michelle Bachmann Rick Perry Mitt RomneySlide50
Lawrence O’DonnellSlide51
Rev. Al SharptonSlide52
James CarvilleSlide53
Howard DeanSlide54
Rachel MaddowSlide55
Bill ClintonSlide56
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe BidenSlide57Slide58Slide59Slide60Slide61Slide62Slide63Slide64Slide65Slide66Slide67Slide68Slide69Slide70Slide71Slide72Slide73