Mr. McCormackBig Idea Worksheet
American GovernmentStudy Guide
CentralDauphinHigh School
Chapter 5 – Political Parties
Section One: Parties and What They Do (p 116-118)
A political party is a group of persons, joined together by ______, who seek to control ______in order to implement certain ______. (p 116)
American political parties are a little different because they are no primarily ______or ______oriented. Instead, they are ______oriented. (p 116)
Political parties are a vital link between the ______and their ______. (p 116)
Please complete the chart by explaining the roles played by political parties. (p 117-118)
Role / Explanation / ExampleNominating
Informing
Bonding Agent
Governing
Watchdog
Mr. McCormackBig Idea Worksheet
American GovernmentStudy Guide
Central Dauphin High School
Chapter 5 – Political Parties
Section Two: The Two-Party System (p 119-124)
A number of factors help to explain why America has had and continues to have a ______system. (p 119)
The system is rooted in the ______of the Constitution, which precipitated our first two parties: the ______, led by ______, and the ______, led by ______. (p 119)
Once established, human institutions (including political systems) are likely to become ______. Americans accept this because it has always been that way. (p 120)
Several features of the ______tend to promote the existence of two major parties. (p 120)
The winning candidate in our elections is the one who receives a ______(the ______of votes cast for that office). (p 120)
Because only one candidate can win, voters usually face only two viable choices: vote for the candidate holding the ______, or vote for the candidate with the best chance of ______. (p 120)
Most voters think of a vote for a minor party candidate as a ______. (p 120)
Election laws have been shaped to ______, ______, and ______the system. For example, in most states it is ______for minor parties to get their candidates listed on the ballot. (p 121)
Over time, Americans have shared many of the same ______, the same basic ______, and the same patterns of ______. (p 121)
To capture a majority in an election, both Democrats and Republicans try to win over ______. (p 122)
In a typical multiparty system, the various parties are each based on a particular ______, such as ______, ______, ______, or ______. (p 122)
Multiparty systems do tend to produce a more ______representation of the electorate, but often lead to ______in government. (p 122)
When no party wins the support of a majority, a number of parties must form a ______to govern. (p 122)
In nearly all ______, only one political party is allowed. (p 123)
About ______of the states in the United States are dominated by a single political party, and even in states with a strong two-party system, there are many ______dominated by a single party. (p 123)
In the US, membership in a party is purely ______. (p 123)
______attract more support from African Americans, Jews, and union members. (p 123)
______attract more support from whites, Protestants, and the business community. (p 123)
Studies show that ______of all Americans join the same political party as their parents. (p 123)
Mr. McCormackBig Idea Worksheet
American GovernmentStudy Guide
CentralDauphinHigh School
Chapter 5 – Political Parties
Section Three: The Two-Party System in American History (p 126-131)
Please complete this chart with the information found in this section.
Period / RealigningEvent / Dominant
Party / Weaker
Party or Parties / Issues
1788-
1800 / Ratification of the Constitution / ____ of 3 Elections
1800-
1860 / Westward Expansion / ____ of 15 Elections
1860-
1932 / Civil War / ____ of 18 Elections
1932-
1968 / Great Depression / ____ of 9 Elections
1968-Present / Great Society/
Culture Wars / ____ of 11 Elections
The ______Party is the only one in American history to evolve from a minor party into a major one. (p 128)
Mr. McCormackBig Idea Worksheet
American GovernmentStudy Guide
CentralDauphinHigh School
Chapter 5 – Political Parties
Section Four: The Minor Parties (p 132-135)
The ______and ______of minor parties make them difficult to describe and classify. (p 132)
Most are ______, but some have existed for decades. (p 132)
Please complete this chart with the information found on pages 132-134.
Type of Party / Basis orFocus / Examples / Reason for Disappearance
Ideological
Single-Issue
Economic Protest
Splinter
Minor parties can play a decisive role, often called a ______, in an election by pulling votes from one of the major parties. (p 134)
Historically, however, the minor parties have been most important in their roles of ______and ______. (p 135)
Examples of issues raised by minor parties include: (p 135) ______
______
______of the ______Party was the most successful minor-party presidential candidate in history. ______of the ______Party was the most successful minor-party presidential candidate in the last thirty years. (p 135)
Mr. McCormackBig Idea Worksheet
American GovernmentStudy Guide
Central Dauphin High School
Chapter 5 – Political Parties
Section Five: Party Organization (p 137-142)
Major parties are often described as though they were ______, ______, ______groups, but that is not very accurate. (p 137)
Neither party has a ______running through the local, state, and national levels. These various units usually cooperate, but that is not always the case. (p 137)
The ______party is usually more solidly united and cohesively organized. (p 137)
______is one major reason for the decentralized nature of the two political parties. (p 138)
The ______process, which requires intraparty contests, is also a prime cause of their highly fragmented character. (p 138)
Please describe the purposes and operation of each part of our political parties. (p 138-140)
National ConventionNational Committee
National Chairperson
Congressional Campaign Committees
State Organization
Local Organization
Please explain who belongs to each component of our political parties: (p 140-141)
Party in the Electorate: ______
Party Organization: ______
Party in Government: ______
Which component is the smallest? ______Which component is the largest? ______
The present, weakened state of the parties can be traced to several factors: (p 141-142)
1. ______
2. ______
3. ______
4. ______
5. ______