American Government Reflections

Chapter 18: Political Parties

Role of Political Parties
Though political parties could have divided the nation, they ended up being an important part
of politics in the U.S. The political parties help provide order to the processes of politics and help
provide general stances on government. By providing broad stances on major issues, political
parties help to unify those with similar viewpoints and give direction for voters. This helps
ensure that the country is not splintered between too many competing political groups that
governing and voting becomes an impossible task. I think this helps people learn about others
political ideologies quickly and make it easier for a person to learn about politics. Political
parties also help with the daily operations of government and help narrow the candidates for
election. Then, countries can have a one-party, two-party, or multiparty system. In a one-party
system, one group controls the government and may make it difficult for those with different
ideas to influence the government. In multiparty systems, there is more than one or two political
parties and this allows many people to support candidates with specific views. However, this
system can lead to instability with parties dissolving and changing quickly due to different views.
This can also make it harder to govern because of the varying viewpoints. I believe that a twoparty system is the most effective because, though other parties can exist, the two parties can still
represent diverse interests and opinions and keeps the country from dividing into too many
political parties.
The U.S. Two-Party System
Since the beginning of the U.S. government, political parties have gone through realignment
and some have almost completely died out. In the early stages of the country the Federalists and
the Democratic-Republicans, or Antifederalists, dominated the system. These parties then
transformed into the Democrats and Whigs until they eventually settled into the parties we have
today, the Democratic and Republican parties. I find it interesting that the Democratic and
Republican parties have completely reversed their stances on how the government should run the
country. It is interesting to know that Democrats at first favored a government that did not
regulate the nation as much and that Republicans favored a stronger government that regulated
the states more. Today these positions are completely reversed! I also think that it is interesting
how one party seems to hold the power in the government for long periods of time before the
power eventually shifts to the other party. It seems as though there is a pattern to how long each
party hold power in the government. Additionally, third parties and independent candidates may
help determine the outcomes of the elections by taking away votes from other candidates.
Party Organization
Just as the court system operates at a local, state, and national level, so do the political parties.
Local parties include party machines which would urge people to vote and would promise them
government jobs if they won the election. However, this led to party corruption as many local
parties would print out only the names of specific candidates, allow people to vote several times,
and strike unfair deals with others to gain financial support. Thankfully, laws are now in place to
help eliminate corruption within local parties. Now the government prints ballots that have the
names of all candidates and many candidates are chosen in primary elections. I think that local
parties help citizens understand the political process and helps them actively participate within
the their community. State parties operate similar to national parties and provide support for

candidates running for election. Last, there are national parties which help operate government
duties and have their own buildings and staff. I think that a strong national party is needed to
help guide the state and local parties and help provide support for candidates.