American Politics Today - Essentials (3rd Ed)

164 CHAPTER 6|POLITICAL PARTIES

who identifi es with the Republican Party does not have to work for the party, give

money to the party, or vote for its candidates.

In light of this defi ning characteristic of American political parties, scholars

describe these organizations as comprising three separate and largely indepen-

dent pieces.^3 The party organization involves the structure of national, state,

and local parties, including party leaders and workers. The party in govern-

ment is made up of the politicians who were elected as candidates of the party.

And the party in the electorate includes all the citizens who identify with the

party. As you will see, organization matters: the fact that American political par-

ties are split into three parts has important implications for what they do and for

their impact on the nation’s politics.

Political scientists use the term party system to describe periods in which

the major parties’ names, their groups of supporters, and the issues dividing them

have all been constant. As Table 6.1 shows, there have been six party systems in

America.^4 For each party system the table gives the names of the two major par-

ties, indicates which party dominated (that is, won the most presidential elec-

tions or controlled Congress), and describes the principal issues dividing the

parties.

The First Five Party Systems

THE FIRST PARTY SYSTEM, 1789–1828

Political parties formed soon after the Founding of the United States. While many

of the Founders expressed their dislike of political parties, most affi liated with a

party soon after the fi rst elections. The fi rst American parties, the Federalists and

the Democratic-Republicans, were primarily parties in government. Federalists

wanted a strong central government and a national bank, and they favored assump-

tion of state war debts by the national government; Democratic-Republicans took

party organization A specifi c
political party’s leaders and work-
ers at the national, state, and local
levels.

party in government The group
of offi ceholders who belong to a
specifi c political party and were
elected as candidates of that party.

party in the electorate The
group of citizens who identify with a
specifi c political party.

party system A period in which
the names of the major political
parties, their supporters, and the
issues dividing them remain rela-
tively stable.

PARTY SYSTEM

MAJOR PARTIES

(dominant party in boldface) KEY ISSUES

First (1789–1828) Federalists, Democratic-Republicans Location of the capital, fi nancial issues (e.g., national bank)

Second (1829–56) Democrats, Whigs Tariffs (farmers vs. merchants), slavery

Third (1857–96) Democrats, Republicans Slavery (pre–Civil War), Reconstruction (post–Civil War),
industrialization

Fourth (1897–1932) Democrats, Republicans Industrialization, immigration

Fifth (1933–68) Democrats, Republicans Size and scope of the federal government

Sixth (1969–present) Democrats, Republicans (neither party
is dominant)

Size and scope of the federal government, civil rights,

social issues, foreign policy

AMERICAN PARTY SYSTEMS

TABLETABLE » » (^) 6.15.1