Part 1 Notes
What are the two main political parties?
Republicans and Democrats
When a single political party controls the government.
one party system
what are the three levels of political party committees?
national, state, and local
Who 'rebranded' the Democratic party? How?
FDR - more government assistance during Great Depression
First republican president
Abraham Lincoln
A candidate must win ___ out of ___ electoral votes to win the election
270 out of 538
where the government has complete control over all aspects of society
totalitarian government
What issue led to the downfall of the Whig Party?
slavery
Who was the first Whig President?
William Henry Harrison
JFK's VP
LBJ
define swing state
a state that could be reasonably won by either the democratic or republican party in an election
Why did the founding fathers fear political parties?
They believed that the competing groups would prioritize their interests over the common good. This would hurt national unity.
They also feared that party allegiance or loyalty might lead to compromise of principles and values – resulting in a lack of genuine representation and accountability with governance
define precincts
voting districts that counties/cities are divided into
When did the Whig Party come into prominence?
1830s-1850s
an election result in which the victorious candidate or party wins by an overwhelming margin
landslide victory
Write the terms 'poll' and 'public opinion' in the same sentence
a poll attempts to measure public opinion about an issue
World's oldest party
Democratic Party
Sets the date and location and rules of the party’s nominating convention, chooses the presidential and VP candidates at the official party meeting
National committees
Which 3 groups made up the base of the Whig Party?
Christians, Abolitionists, those against his harsh treatment of Native Americans
What is the main difference (from the notes) between the republican and democratic parties?
Republican - limited role/less regulation for businesses
Democrat - active role/more regulation
explain why the democratic and republican parties are of almost equal strength and one party does not dominate our system
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•Each party tries to attract as many voters as possible, so both parties tend to offer ideas and policies that are near the center of public opinion
•Neither party wants to offer policies that might be considered too extreme because they know that if they fail to please a majority of voters, those voters may join the other party
Who's presidency was the start of campaign rallies and nominating conventions that characterize modern-day politics?
Andrew Jackson
Congress passed this to limit political contributions out of fear that candidates would award them special favors
Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)
List the 3 reasons why the Whig Party hated Jackson
1. he supported slavery
2. his harsh treatment towards Native Americans
3. He ignored supreme court decisions/disregarded the constitution
List all of the swing states from this election
Pennsylvania
Michigan
Wisconsin
George
North Carolina
Nevada
Arizona