214

As American citizens, each of us has certain rights andresponsibilities—to participate in political parties, vote, andexpress our opinions on government policies. To ensure thecontinuation of democracy in this country, Americans mustconstantly involve themselves in their government.

Use the American History Primary Source DocumentLibrary CD-ROM to find primary sources about politicalparties and interest groups.

Participate in an ongoing activity that demonstrates your Americancitizenship. For example, volunteer to work in a nursing home onSaturdays, help out at a shelter for the homeless, or work with apeer counseling group. Give ongoing reports of your experiences tothe class.

Joseph Sohm/Photo Researchers

214

George W. Bush campaigns forthe presidency in California.

215

The Constitution does not mention political parties, but thefirst ones formed during the early days of our nation.Todaythe United States has several political parties. Find out howpolitical parties in your state nominate candidates for office.Then interview neighbors who are active in a political party.Prepare a brochure using the information you find.

To learn more about American political parties, view theDemocracy in Action video lesson 16: Political Parties.

216

Students rally for presidential candidateAl Gore in Arkansas in 2000. ▲

AP/CORBIS

Organizing Information Study Foldable Make the following foldable to helpyou organize your thoughts and notes about political parties and politics.

Reading andWriting As you readthe chapter, writewhat you learn aboutthe development,organization, and roleof political partiestoday under theappropriate tabs.

Step 2 Turn the paperand fold it into thirds.

Step 4 Label as shown.

12

Fold it so the leftedge is about

inch from theright edge.

This willmake three

tabs.

POLITICAL PARTIES

Development Organization Role Today

Step 1 Fold a sheet of paper inhalf from side to side.

Step 3 Unfold and cut the top layer onlyalong both folds.

Chapter Overview Visit the CivicsToday Web site at civ.glencoe.comand click on Chapter Overviews—Chapter 9 to preview chapterinformation.

GUIDE TO READING

Main Idea

Shortly after our nation’sbirth, political leadersformed parties in anattempt to gain control ofdecision making in thegovernment.

Key Terms

political party, two-partysystem, third party,platform, plank

Reading Strategy

Organizing InformationAs you read, complete aweb diagram similar tothe one below by writingin political parties thathave developed in theUnited States. Also includethe time period in whicheach party originated.

Read to Learn

• How have politicalparties formedthroughout U.S. history?

• What are thedifferences between thetwo major parties?

Development of AmericanPolitical Parties

SECTION

218 Chapter 9 Political Parties and PoliticsBridgeman Art Library

It was the hope of some Founders ofour nation, George Washington in particular, thatparties—or factions, as he thought of them—would not develop. During Washington’spresidency, his secretary of state, ThomasJefferson, and his secretary of the treasury,Alexander Hamilton, had some major differences.Those two men became, in essence, the foundersof today’s political parties. In May of 1792,President Washington wrote to Jefferson: “Howunfortunate, and how much is it to be regrettedthen, that whilst we are encompassed on allsides with avowed enemies and insidiousfriends, that internal dissensions should beharrowing and tearing our vitals.”

The Two-Party SystemDespite the wishes of our first president, political parties

formed. A political party is an association of voters withbroad, common interests who want to influence or controldecision making in government by electing the party’s candi-dates to public office. Party members usually share beliefsabout politics and about the proper role of government. Theypick candidates who agree with those beliefs. Then they try topersuade voters to support these candidates. In the UnitedStates anyone can join a political party. It is not necessary topay dues, take a test, or even vote. It is only necessary todeclare yourself a member of the party.

During most of American history there have been twomajor political parties. Other parties have sometimes run inelections, but they have seldom won. For these reasons, theUnited States is said to have a two-party system.

The Republican and Democratic Parties have been the twomajor parties for many years. Both parties have millions of sup-porters around the country. In fact, they have so much strength

Gilbert Stuart’spainting of Washington

Political Partiesin the United States

that since 1860 one or the other has alwaysheld the presidency.Together they have heldmost seats in Congress as well.

Roots of the Two-Party SystemThe U.S. Constitution says nothing

about political parties. In fact, many dele-gates to the Constitutional Conventionwere against them. Despite Washington’swarning, however, two rival political groupsformed shortly after he became president.Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson led onegroup, and Secretary of the TreasuryAlexander Hamilton led the other. Theydisagreed strongly about how the U.S. gov-ernment should operate.

Hamilton, like Jefferson, favored pro-tection for individual rights. Hamiltonbelieved that individual rights were at risk ifthe government was too weak, so hefavored a strong national government. Heespecially wanted the president to havemore power. Jefferson wanted to limit thepower of the national government. Heargued for more power for state govern-ments, which were closer to the citizens.

The Democratic Party At first Jeffer-son’s group was called the Democratic-Republican Party. Then, in 1828, under the leadership of Andrew Jackson, theDemocratic-Republican Party split andJackson aligned with the DemocraticParty. From 1800 to 1816 Jefferson’s partygrew stronger, while Hamilton’s group, theFederalist Party, faded away. From 1816 to1828 the Democratic-Republicans faced noserious challenges. In 1830 a new party, theWhigs (or National Republicans), rose tocompete with the newly named Democrats.The Whigs and the Democrats remained thetwo major parties until the 1850s.

The Republican Party In 1854 a groupof breakaway Democrats and Whigs, many of whom opposed slavery, formed the

Republican Party. It soon replaced theWhig Party, which had lost most of its sup-port during the growing national disputeover slavery. In 1860 Abraham Lincoln wonelection as the first Republican president.Since then, Republicans and Democrats havebeen the major parties in our system.

Explaining Why didWashington not want political parties to form?

Third PartiesThroughout American history, third par-

ties have arisen to influence politics. Becausethese parties almost always challenge the twomajor parties, they are called third parties.No third party has ever won a presidentialelection, and third parties rarely win othermajor elections, so these parties are alsocalled minor parties.Third parties can, how-ever, affect the outcome of elections, andthey may influence government and socialpolicy. Although third parties differ, they doshare one thing: they believe that neither ofthe major parties is meeting certain needs.

Two third parties, the Populists andthe Progressives, did have some impacton American politics. The members of the

Bettmann/CORBIS

Campaign bandanna for the Progressive, or Bull Moose, Party

Chapter 9 Political Parties and Politics 219

220 Chapter 9 Political Parties and Politics

Populist Party of the 1890s included acombination of farmers and laborers. ThePopulists called for the direct election ofsenators and an eight-hour working day.Although they never won the presidency,the two major parties adopted many oftheir ideas.

The Progressive, or Bull Moose, Partysplit from the Republicans in 1912, whenTheodore Roosevelt, a former Republicanpresident, ran for president as a Progressive.Roosevelt took so many votes away from theRepublican candidate,William Howard Taft,that the Democratic nominee, WoodrowWilson, won the election. In this wayRoosevelt and his Progressive Party played a“spoiler” role in the election.

Single-Issue Parties Some third parties arise not to win elec-

tions but to promote a social, economic, ormoral issue. For example, the ProhibitionistParty, formed in 1872, wanted to ban the saleof alcohol. The party’s candidates did notexpect to be elected. Instead, they used elec-tion campaigns to try to influence citizens to accept the party’s ideas about drinking alcohol. They hoped to persuade legislators

to pass laws against the sale of alcoholic bev-erages. A single-issue party usually doesn’tlast long. It may fade away when the issue isno longer important or if a major partyadopts the issue.

Ideological Parties Some third parties—called ideological

parties—focus on changing society in majorways. For example, the Socialist Labor Partyand the Communist Party USA support government ownership of factories, trans-portation, resources, farmland, and otherbusinesses. The Libertarian Party wants tocut the size of the U.S. government in orderto increase individual freedoms. The GreenParty opposes the power of corporations andfavors decision making at the grassroots level.

Independent Candidates Sometimes third parties form around

well-known individuals who cannot getsupport from one of the two major parties.Such parties usually do not survive beyondthe defeat of their candidate.

In 1980 John Anderson, a member ofCongress from Illinois, lost the Republicanpresidential nomination and ran as the

AP/Wide World Photos

Other Party Systems Members of India’s multiparty legislature commemorateIndia’s fiftieth anniversary of independence from Great Britain in 1997 (right),while Vietnam’s legislators, representing the Communist Party, cast their votesfor the country’s most powerful post of party general secretary in 2001 (left).What type of party system does Vietnam have?

candidate of a campaign organization he cre-ated called the Independent Party. In 1992wealthy business leader H. Ross Perot chal-lenged both major party candidates as anindependent. Perot ran again in 1996, underthe banner of the Reform Party.

Third parties rarely win major electionsbecause of the United States’s two-partytradition. While the names of theRepublican and Democratic candidates areautomatically placed on the ballot in manystates, third-party candidates must obtain alarge number of voter signatures in order to get on the ballot. Also, nearly all electedofficials in the United States are selected by single-member districts.This means thatonly one candidate wins each district.Because most voters support the majorparties, the winners are usually Democratsand Republicans. Third parties also oftenhave trouble raising enough money tocompete in campaigns against the major-party candidates.

Describing Why do single-issue parties form?

Other Party SystemsPolitical parties are not unique to the

United States.They exist in most countries.Two-party systems, however, are rare. Therole that political parties play differs witheach nation’s political system.

Most democracies have multiparty sys-tems. In these systems, three or more partiescompete for control of the government.For example, Canada has 3 major parties,Germany has 5, and Israel has more than 20.In these countries, voters face many optionson Election Day. The parties all representdifferent ideas about government. In multi-party systems, one party rarely wins enoughsupport to control the government, so sever-al parties often must work together.This is a

situation that may easily break down andbecome politically unstable because of somany competing interests of the parties.

In a one-party system, the party and thegovernment are nearly the same thing. In thePeople’s Republic of China, for instance,only one party—the Communist Party—isallowed to exist, and only Communist can-didates may run for office. As a result, onlyCommunist Party members fill governmentpositions, where they carry out the party’sorders. Elections are an empty exercise sincethere are no rival candidates. One-party sys-tems, obviously, are not democratic systems.

One-party systems also exist in somenon-Communist nations.The government ofIran, for example, is dominated by religious

Jacques M. Chenet/CORBIS

H. Ross Perot (1930– )In 1992 H. Ross Perot

sensed American anger overhigh unemployment and thehuge national debt. Perot, aself-made billionaire fromTexas, founded the ReformParty and promised to improvethe economy. Perot, who madehis fortune in computer tech-nology, had the money tofinance his campaign. He alsohad “name recognition.” In 1969 Perot starteda crusade to free American prisoners of war(POWs) in Vietnam. In 1978 he organized acommando raid to free two of his employeesfrom an Iranian jail. When voters went to thepolls in 1992, 19 percent cast their ballots forPerot. Because many Republicans voted forPerot, some people say he cost George H.W.Bush reelection as president.

Chapter 9 Political Parties and Politics 221

222 Chapter 9 Political Parties and Politics

Checking for Understanding

1. Key Terms Write sentences orshort paragraphs about politicalparties in which you use the fol-lowing terms: political party,two-party system, third party,platform, plank.

Reviewing Main Ideas 2. Contrast Describe the basic dif-

ferences between the views ofThomas Jefferson and AlexanderHamilton regarding how govern-ment should operate.

3. Explain In what way have thirdparties been influential in U.S.politics?

Critical Thinking

4. Making Inferences Which viewof how government should oper-ate—Jefferson’s or Hamilton’s—is most evident in the UnitedStates today? Explain.

5. Making Comparisons In a chartlike the one below, describe the differences between theDemocratic and RepublicanParties.

Analyzing Visuals

6. Infer Examine the campaignparty artifact on page 219. Whatparty does it represent? Whichtype of third party described inthe text do you think this partywas? Explain your answer.

SECTION ASSESSMENT

leaders. Muslim leaders control the IslamicRepublican Party. All major opposition par-ties have been outlawed or are inactive.

Today’s Major PartiesCompeting political parties are a neces-

sary part of democratic government. Theyare a key link between citizens and theirelected officials. They give voters a choiceamong candidates and ideas. They helpmake elections meaningful.

A basic difference between the majorparties is their belief in how much the gov-ernment should be involved in the lives ofAmericans. For example, the Democratstend to believe that the federal governmentshould be more directly involved in regulat-ing the economy and in providing housing,income, education, and jobs for the poor.The Republicans tend to believe that if theyhelp the nation’s economy grow, poor peo-ple will have a better chance of finding jobsand meeting their needs on their own.Theyfavor less government regulation of theeconomy as the best way to promote thegrowth of production.

Sometimes it can be difficult to tellthe difference between the two parties.Both try to appeal to as many voters aspossible because ignoring large numbersof voters may lead to defeat on ElectionDay. By adopting moderate and main-stream positions and avoiding extreme orradical positions, the major parties hopeto attract the largest number of votes andwin elections. The parties are also similarbecause the majority of American peoplegenerally agree about many political andsocial issues.

One way to find out how the parties differ is to read the political document, orplatform, that each party writes at its presi-dential nominating convention, held everyfour years. The platform is a series ofstatements expressing the party’s princi-ples, beliefs, and positions on electionissues. Each individual part of the platformis called a plank. The platform communi-cates to voters what the party claims it willdo if it wins the White House.

Explaining Why do the twomajor parties seem so similar?

�BE AN ACTIVE CITIZEN�7. Research Make a list of major

local and state governmentoffices where you live. Name thepeople who hold each officealong with their political party.

Democratic RepublicanParty Party

GUIDE TO READING

Main Idea

Both the Republicans andthe Democrats havehighly organized politicalorganizations at the local,state, and national levels.

Key Terms

national committee,national partychairperson, delegate,caucus, precinct, ward,county chairperson,political machine

Reading Strategy

Summarizing InformationAs you read, use a chartlike the one below to helpyou take notes about thethree levels of politicalparty organizations.

Read to Learn

• How are local, state,and national politicalparty committeesorganized?

• How do politicalmachines sometimesemerge?

Organization of AmericanPolitical Parties

SECTION

Gary Risley, a corporate lawyer, was38 years old when he attended the RepublicanNational Convention in 1996. It was his first timeserving as a delegate. After working on hiscandidate’s platform committee, Risley lookedforward to convention week, when he could listen to good speeches and nominate “the next presidentof the United States.” As a delegate, Risley alsoconsidered it his job to return home and“spread the message” about the issues and hischosen candidates.

National Party OrganizationBoth major political parties today hold national conven-

tions like the one Gary Risley attended. In fact, the Democraticand Republican Parties are organized at the local, state, andnational levels. These different levels are only loosely tiedtogether. There is no chain of command that lets the nationalorganization control state or local party leaders. All the levelsdo, however, have roughly the same political beliefs, and theyare united in their ultimate goal—to help the party win asmany offices as possible.

Each party has a national committee made up of repre-sentatives from every state. This committee helps raise fundsfor presidential elections and organizes the party’s nationalconvention. A national party chairperson runs the commit-tee. The chairperson’s main job is to manage the office, directthe committee staff, and lead fund-raising efforts.

In recent years the national committees of both partieshave become increasingly active. For example, they have cre-ated Web sites with information about candidates and posi-tions. They recruit candidates, teach them effective campaignstrategies, and give them some campaign funds.They also cre-ate television and radio advertisements.

Chapter 9 Political Parties and Politics 223Brooks Kraft/CORBIS Sygma

National State Local

The RepublicanNational Convention

of 1996

224 Chapter 9 Political Parties and Politics

A key job of the national committee isto hold the national convention every fouryears. At the convention, party delegatesfrom all the states nominate candidates forpresident and vice president. Each party

chooses its delegates through a combina-tion of presidential primary elections andcaucuses, or meetings, of state and localparty organizations.

The delegates’ first job is to write theplatform. This task can cause conflictbecause each party includes members witha wide range of positions on key issues. In1968, for example, Democratic delegatesfought long and hard over a plank callingfor an end to the Vietnam War.

Once the platform has been preparedand approved, delegates nominate theparty’s presidential candidate. There arespeeches and demonstrations supportingthe candidate. Historically, conventionswere exciting and suspenseful eventswhere delegates from around the countrydecided upon their presidential candidate.The conventions were a grand spectacleon television. Today the increasing use ofearly primary elections, where voters nar-row down the list of candidates, hascaused the nomination for president to bealmost entirely decided by the time of theconvention.

Both parties also have House andSenate campaign committees made up ofmembers of Congress. These committeeswork to help elect and reelect party mem-bers as senators and representatives.

The congressional campaign commit-tees have been growing more importantbecause they have begun raising largeamounts of money. The money—mostlyfrom private sources—goes to the party’scongressional candidates and to state andlocal party organizations.

State and Local OrganizationEach party has 50 state committees or

organizations. In some states the parties arewell organized, have large staffs, and spenda lot of money each year. In others the orga-nization is weak. State committees focus on

Courtesy family of Sandra Velasquez

Sandra Valasquez from Oregon

Sandra Valasquez used to be on the shyside, but that was before she joined

the Oregon Latino Voter Registration Educa-tion Project in 1998. These days, the 17-year-old high school junior from Salem,Oregon, is front and center as she poundsthe pavement to get out the minority vote.

Whenever Valasquez has free time,she’s out talking up the value of the demo-cratic process. She canvasses the commu-nity for potential new voters—going tocolleges and meeting centers withbrochures and registration forms in hand.

“I think a lot of the time people don’tthink of voting as a positive thing,”Valasquez says. “They always complainabout the government, but most of thosepeople aren’t even registered. If you wantto get your voice out there, you have to reg-ister and vote.”

Evidently, that message is beginning tosink in: the Oregon Latino Voter RegistrationEducation Project signed up 5,000 newLatino voters before the 2000 presidentialelection. If you would like to get involved inregistering people to vote in your community,contact your local board of elections.

electing party candidates to state offices—governor, attorney general, state legislators,and others. They also work to elect theirparty’s candidates for national offices.

Local party organizations consist ofthousands of city, town, and county com-mittees across the country. These commit-tees include people elected by their fellowparty members.

Precinct Captains Each city or county is divided into elec-

tion districts or precincts. A precinct is ageographic area that contains a specificnumber of voters. A precinct may consist ofan entire small town or, in a large city, agroup of adjacent neighborhoods. All votersin a precinct cast their ballots at the samevoting place.

For each precinct, the local party has avolunteer precinct captain, whose job is toorganize other party volunteers duringcampaigns and encourage voters onElection Day. The volunteers distributeleaflets, register voters, and try to convincevoters to support the party’s candidates.

Several adjoining precincts make up alarger election unit called a ward. Partymembers in each ward typically elect a vol-unteer to represent the ward at the localparty’s next level of organization—thecounty committee.

County Committees Counties are the largest political units in

a state. There are more than 3,000 of themacross the country. Both major parties havecounty committees. A county chairperson,who runs the committee, often has a greatdeal of political power in the county. If thecounty is large, state party leaders such as thegovernor or a U.S. senator may consult withthe county chairperson about importantappointments, such as judgeships.

Local party people are very important.Higher-level party leaders depend onprecinct and ward leaders to build the partyat the “grassroots,” or neighborhood, level.These local leaders have to know whatissues their neighbors are worried about andkeep track of how local political sentiment isrunning. At election time they must “deliver

Organization of Political Parties

National Chairperson

National Committee

State Chairperson

State Committee

Local Chairperson

City, Town, or County Committee

Precinct CaptainPrecinct Workers

National Convention

CongressionalCampaign Committee

SenatorialCampaign Committee

Precinct workers form thegrassroots organization ofboth parties. Who controlsthe precinct workers?

(l)Democratic National Committee. All rights reserved., (r)Republican National Committee. All rights reserved.

226 Chapter 9 Political Parties and Politics

Checking for Understanding

1. Key Terms Explain the followingterms by using each in a complete sentence: national committee, national party chairperson, delegate, caucus,precinct, ward, county chairper-son, political machine.

Reviewing Main Ideas2. Describe What is the first order

of business for delegates at anational convention?

3. Explain What do congressionalcampaign committees do? Whyhave congressional campaigncommittees become more impor-tant in recent years?

Critical Thinking

4. Drawing Conclusions Why doyou think citizens in the pastallowed political machines toexist?

5. Categorizing Information On aweb diagram like the one below,categorize the structure andfunctions of political party organizations at all levels.

Analyzing Visuals

6. Describe Review the organiza-tion of political parties on page225. According to this diagram,what body is responsible for theparty’s national convention?

the vote” for party candidates at every levelof government, from school board memberto president of the United States.

Political Machines At times in the past some local party

organizations became so powerful that, yearafter year, their candidates swept almostevery election. Such a strong party organi-zation is called a political machine. Oneof the most famous—and notorious—polit-ical machines was New York City’sTammany Hall. This organization ruledNew York City in the late 1800s and early1900s. Its leader, William Marcy “Boss”Tweed, and his friends grew rich frombribes and kickbacks given by building con-tractors seeking to do business with the city.Eventually, many members of the Tweedring ended up in prison.

At a time in American history when nosocial service agencies existed to help poorpeople and immigrants, political machinesoften served a useful purpose, though. Themachines provided needy citizens withjobs, food, fuel, and help with medical care

in return for their votes.Today most peoplethink of political machines as harmful.When one party is in power for too long, itmay become unresponsive to the needs ofthe community. Political leaders are lessaccountable to citizens when the leaders donot have to worry about getting reelected.

Joining a Political PartyYou don’t need to join a political party in

the United States to vote. However, politicalparties offer every citizen a great way to getinvolved in politics. Political parties do every-thing they can to attract members, and theywelcome whomever wishes to belong. Partymembership involves no duties or obligationsother than voting. If a member of a partychooses to do more, then he or she may con-tribute money, do volunteer work, or partici-pate in other activities, especially duringelection campaigns. The parties depend oncitizen involvement to accomplish their goals.

Concluding Why is itimportant to build grassroots support for aparty?

�BE AN ACTIVE CITIZEN�7. Interview Choose one of the two

major parties. Research its localorganization. Who is the precinct,ward, or county chairperson? Setup an appointment to interviewthat person, or with yourteacher’s permission, invite theperson to speak to your class.

SECTION ASSESSMENT

PoliticalParty

Organizations

GUIDE TO READING

Main Idea

Although selecting candi-dates and running cam-paigns are the mostimportant roles of politi-cal parties, they alsoserve other significantfunctions.

Key Terms

nomination, direct primary, closed primary,open primary, plurality,runoff primary, petition

Reading Strategy

Summarizing InformationAs you read, write theroles performed by politi-cal parties in a chart similar to the one below.

Read to Learn

• How do political partiesnominate and cam-paign for candidates?

• What other roles areperformed by politicalparties?

Role of PoliticalParties Today

SECTION

It isn’t only elected officials who make a career out of pol-itics. Terry McAuliffe is certainly a career politician, even though he hasnever held an elected position. He has, however, heldmany appointed positions. In fact, he has workedfor every Democratic presidential candidate sinceJimmy Carter’s reelection campaign in 1980.McAuliffe’s personal business experience giveshim special expertise in finance and business.As a result, he has served as finance director for the Democratic National Committee and for various individual presidential and congres-sional campaigns. As National Chair of theDemocratic National Committee, McAuliffe plays avital, although somewhat behind-the-scenes, rolein national politics.

Nominating CandidatesThe people who make up political parties, like Terry

McAuliffe, play an important role in the American system ofgovernment. They select candidates for office. They keep peo-ple informed and interested in the issues and the candidates.They try to see that party members elected to office do a goodjob. They keep an eye on the opposition party, publicly criti-cizing many of its actions. They also act as a link between dif-ferent branches and levels of government.The parties carry outthese activities throughout the year.They are busiest, however,at election time. Political parties are the only organizations thatselect and offer candidates for public office. They do thisthrough the nomination process.

Primary Elections Today major parties in all states nominate candidates at all

levels of government through direct primaries. The directprimary is an election in which voters choose candidates torepresent each party in a general election. In recent years, theseelections have been very competitive, and the winner of themost primaries is often nominated by his or her party. There

Terry McAuliffe

Chapter 9 Political Parties and Politics 227AP/Wide World Photos

Roles of Political Parties

are two mainforms of thedirect primary:closed and open.

Most stateshold a closedprimary. This isan election in

which only the declared members of a partyare allowed to vote for that party’s nominees.Thus, only Republicans can vote in theRepublican Party’s primary.

Rules for how voters declare their partyaffiliation vary by state. In some states youmust declare your party when you register.In others, you do not have to declare yourparty preference until you actually vote.

A few states hold an open primary, inwhich voters do not need to declare theirparty preference in order to vote for theparty’s nominees. In most open-primarystates, you choose a party in the privacy ofthe voting booth.

People who favor the closed primaryclaim that it helps keep the members of oneparty from crossing over into the otherparty’s primary to try to promote weak candidates (who would then be easy todefeat). An argument against the closedprimary is that it does not permit a trulysecret ballot, since voters must first declarea party preference. It also prevents unaffili-ated voters from taking part in primaryelections in most states.

Sometimes a political office can havemore than one vacancy, and thus each partycan nominate more than one candidate.Most offices, however, are open to only onewinner. In these cases, most states award theparty’s nomination to the candidate whoreceives a plurality—the most votes amongall those running. In a few states, however,the winner must have a majority. (A majori-ty is a number greater than half of the total.)If no candidate receives a majority, the partyholds a runoff primary between the two

Leading Third-Party Presidential Candidates

1948 Strom Thurmond States’ Rights 1,1761952 Vincent Hallinan Progressive 1041956 T. Coleman Andrews States’ Rights 1111960 Eric Hass Socialist Labor 481964 Eric Hass Socialist Labor 45

1968 George Wallace American 9,906Independent

1972 John Schmitz American 1,0991976 Eugene McCarthy Independent 7571980 John Anderson Independent 5,7201984 David Bergland Libertarian 2281988 Ron Paul Libertarian 4321992 H. Ross Perot Independent 19,7421996 H. Ross Perot Reform 8,0852000 Ralph Nader Green 2,883

DATE CANDIDATEPOPULAR

VOTE(thousands)

PARTY

Source: Federal Election Commission and United States Census Bureau, 2000.

This chart shows the significantthird-party candidates in presiden-tial elections for part of Americanhistory. Which of the candidateslisted was most successful ingaining popular votes?

Student Web Activity Visitciv.glencoe.com and click onStudent Web Activities—Chapter 9 to learn moreabout political parties today.

Collection of David J. & Janice L. Frent

Chapter 9 Political Parties and Politics 229

top vote getters. The winner then becomesthe party’s candidate in the general election.

Unaffiliated Candidates Candidateswho are not affiliated with one of the twomajor parties can get on the ballot for thegeneral election in most states by petition.If enough qualified voters sign papersdeclaring support for a candidate, he or shegoes on the ballot for the general election.

Contrasting What is thedifference between an open and closed primary?

Other Party RolesNominating candidates for office is

just one of many roles that political partiesperform.

Campaigning for Candidates Once a party has nominated its candi-

dates for office, it begins to campaign forthem in the general election.The parties raisemoney for the campaign.They also help can-didates get across their ideas and views onpublic issues to voters. A key role for partyvolunteers is to make sure party supportersare registered to vote and to ensure that onElection Day these voters go to the polls.

Informing Citizens The party’s goal during the campaign is

for its candidates to win office. However,running a campaign serves another impor-tant purpose in a democracy: it informs cit-izens about public issues and the waygovernment works through informationalpamphlets; speeches; and TV, radio, andnewspaper advertisements.

Helping Manage Government Things slow down for political parties

once an election is over, but work does con-tinue. In fact, parties are involved in one of

the first tasks that comes up after an elec-tion—handing out government jobs.

Most government jobs are civil servicejobs gained on the basis of open, competi-tive examinations and merit. However, thepresident, governors, and some mayorshave the power to appoint their trustedsupporters to many high-level jobs. Thesesupporters will usually be party memberswho believe in their party’s ideas and wantthe opportunity to serve in government. If achief executive has jobs to fill but does nothave enough high-level supporters to fillthem, he or she often seeks recommenda-tions from party leaders.

Linking the Different Levels ofGovernment

Party ties are important in helping dif-ferent levels of government and branches ofgovernment cooperate with each other. Forexample, suppose the mayor of Columbia,South Carolina, and the governor of SouthCarolina are both Democrats.They are like-ly to have similar goals and ideas.They maybe personal friends. Perhaps they haveworked together on election campaigns or

Michael Newman/PhotoEdit

Watchdogs Ralph Nader, a third-party candi-date in the 2000 presidential election, writes aweekly column called “In the Public Interest.” Init, Nader closely examines and criticizes govern-mental actions. What benefit might the publicget from Nader’s actions?

230 Chapter 9 Political Parties and Politics

Checking for Understanding

1. Key Terms Write a paragraphthat summarizes the key pointsof this section. Use all of the following terms: nomination,direct primary, closed primary,open primary, plurality, runoff primary, petition.

Reviewing Main Ideas2. Identify When does a runoff

primary occur? Where does thewinner go from there?

3. Describe How does a candidatewho is not affiliated with eithermajor party get on the ballot?

Critical Thinking

4. Drawing Conclusions In youropinion, which is a better sys-tem, the open primary or theclosed primary? Explain.

5. Organizing Information On aweb diagram like the one below,write the roles that political par-ties play in our nation and givean example of each role.

Analyzing Visuals

6. Identify Examine the chart onpage 228. What party didGeorge Wallace represent in1968? How much of the popularvote did he receive?

SECTION ASSESSMENT

party business in the past. These connec-tions may make it easier for them to joinforces to tackle mutual problems. Likewise,when a majority of legislators belong to thesame party as a chief executive, cooperationbetween the two branches is likely to be bet-ter than if they belong to opposing parties.

Acting as a Watchdog Finally, parties play an important

“watchdog” role after an election. Theparty that is out of power—the partythat lost the election for president, gov-ernor, or Congress—watches the actionsof the party in power for any mistakes ormisuse of power. This opposition partymay criticize the party in power andoffer its own solutions to political prob-lems. In this way, the opposition partyhopes to attract voters to support it infuture elections. Competition betweenparties forces the party in power to payattention to the will of the people.

Explaining Why doparties out of power act as watchdogs?

Wayne Stayskal/Courtesy Tampa Tribune

�BE AN ACTIVE CITIZEN�7. Research Contact the local

Democratic and Republican Partyoffices. Find out what jobs areavailable for volunteers. Make alist of the jobs and categorizethem according to the six rolesof political parties.

Roles of Political Parties

Analyzing Visuals In many elections,more than half of all eligible voters fail tocast ballots. What do you think of the con-cept of a “nonvoters’ party”? What courseof action is the cartoonist supporting?

Chapter 9 Political Parties and Politics 231

Citizenship

Why Learn This Skill?The First Amendment assures Americans thefreedom to express their views on politicalmatters. Political cartoonists use art toexpress political opinions. Their work appearsin newspapers, magazines, and books, and onthe Internet. Political cartoons are drawingsthat express an opinion. They usually focus onpublic figures, political events, or economic orsocial conditions. Reading a political cartooncan give you a summary of an event or circum-stance and the artist’s opinion in a quick andentertaining manner.

Learning the SkillTo interpret a political cartoon, follow thesteps listed in the next column.

• Read the title, caption, or conversation bal-loons. Most cartoons will carry at least oneof these elements. They help you identifythe subject of the cartoon.

• Identify the characters. They may be carica-tures, or unrealistic drawings that exagger-ate the characters’ physical features.

• Identify the symbols. Some caricatures maystand for something else. Commonly recog-nized symbols may not be labeled. Unusualsymbolism will be labeled.

• Examine the actions in the cartoon to deter-mine what is happening and why they areimportant.

• Identify the cartoonist’s purpose. State thepoint the cartoonist makes about the actualsituation. Decide if the cartoonist wants topersuade, criticize, or provoke thought.

Practicing the SkillOn a separate sheet of paper, answer the fol-lowing questions about the political cartoonon this page.

Who are the main characters in the car-toon? What do they represent?In what ways is the main character a caricature?Describe the action in the drawing.What is the cartoonist’s comment on thesituation represented?

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Practice key skills with Glencoe’sSkillbuilder Interactive WorkbookCD-ROM, Level 1.

Interpreting a Political Cartoon

Use a current news source to locate twopolitical cartoons. Write a brief summary ofthe cartoonist’s message and purpose foreach cartoon.

Applying the Skill

Ed Frascino/The Cartoon Bank

Using Your Foldables Study OrganizerUse your completed foldable to create atime line that includes information toanswer the following question: Why havepolitical parties been importantthroughout American history?

232(t)Najlah Feanny/Stock Boston, (b)Jonathan Nourok/PhotoEdit

Section 1

• Shortly after our nationbegan, two politicalparties formed.

• The basic differencebetween the two partiestoday is their belief inhow much the government should beinvolved in Americans’ lives.

Section 2

• Each party has a national committee andcongressional campaign committees. Eachparty also has 50 state committees andmany local party organizations.

• Some local party organizations became sopowerful in the past that their candidateswon almost every election. These wereknown as political machines.

Section 3

• Political parties nominate candidatesthrough a nomination process of directprimaries.

• Political partiescampaign for theircandidates by raisingmoney, informingvoters, and gettingpeople to vote.

Reviewing Key TermsWrite the term from the chapter that bestmatches the clues below.

1. the party system of the United States

2. they nominate the presidential candidate atthe national convention

3. New York’s Tammany Hall

4. helps prevent crossover voting

5. a party that is not a major party

6. the party system of China

7. advocates claim that it preserves the secretballot

8. read this to find out what a party stands for

9. the smallest geographical unit of a party

10. part of a party’s platform

Reviewing Main Ideas11. What were the first two political parties in the

United States, and who were their leaders?

12. Name three third parties that organizedaround independent candidates for president.

13. What party replaced the Federalists as themain challenger to the Democratic-Republicans in 1830?

14. What two mechanisms are used by parties toselect delegates to the national convention?

15. What role do congressional campaign com-mittees play in the political arena?

16. Prior to nominating the party’s candidate forpresident and vice president, what is the mainjob of delegates at a national convention?

17. Even if a party’s candidate for office loses,how has the party benefited the community?

18. In what way do political parties help managethe government?

Critical Thinking19. Analyzing Information Why do you think

there has never been a successful third-partycandidate for president?

20. Making Comparisons In a chart like theone below, compare the basic beliefs of themajor parties.

Practicing Skills21. Interpreting a

Political CartoonExamine the politi-cal cartoon. In it, cartoonistThomas Nast portrayed BossTweed of the politi-cal machine. Howis Tweed’s headportrayed? Why?

Analyzing VisualsStudy the circle graph below; then answer thefollowing questions.

22. What percentage of the popular vote did the third-party candidate receive? Howmight the results have been different ifthere had been only two candidates?

23. As a class, organize a poll to see how manyplan to register and vote when they are ofage. Discuss the results of your poll.

Economics Activity24. When politicians talk about political capital,

they mean a special kind of property—theinfluence, prestige, and fame “owned” by apolitician. Look up the term “capital,” andexplain its economic meaning. If you were abusinessperson, how would you acquire capi-tal? How would you acquire it as a politician?

Technology Activity25. Search for both the Republican and

Democratic platforms from the 2000 elec-tion on the Internet. Read through each plat-form. With which platform did you mostagree? Why?

Self-Check Quiz Visit the Civics Today Web site atciv.glencoe.com and click on Self-Check Quizzes—Chapter 9 to prepare for the chapter test.

Standardized Test Practice

Directions: Choose the answer that best completes the

following statement.

All of the following are key roles thatpolitical parties play in the U.S. politicalprocess EXCEPTA bring charges of misconduct against

the presidency if necessary.B nominate candidates for office. C monitor the activities of government

officials.D educate the American public about

campaign issues and candidates.

Test-Taking TipRemember, when a question contains the

term except, you must find the answerchoice that is not true.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Other Candidates1%

Bush48%

Gore48%

Nader3%

2000 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION(POPULAR VOTE)

Democratic Party Republican Party

Chapter 9 Political Parties and Politics 233