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Democratic Party
~Known as the oldest political party in the United States
~Was created by the followers of Jefferson and adopted the name Jeffersonian Republicans
~Advocated for a decentralized government with limited power
~Has changed because Democrats used to support slavery and opposed civil rights reforms
~Supports organized labor, civil rights for minorities, and progressive reform
~Favor greater governement intervention in the economy
~Oppose government intervention in citizen affairs -
Whig Party
~Formed by the National Republican Party
~Lead by John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay
~Supported by internal improvements and moral reforms
~Desired westward expansion with agreements to economic growth and modernization
~Based in New England and New York
~Made up of middle-class people
~Disliked Martin Van Buren -
Free-Soil Party
~A minor but influential party
~In the pre-Civil War period that opposed the extension of slavery
~Their slogan was “Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, Free Men”
~Attracted farmers, debtors, village merchants, and mill workers
~Called for the prohibition of slavery in newly land acquired from Mexico
~After their party disbanded, they joined the Republican party because of their similar views on slavery -
Republican Party
~Formed by Northern abolitionists after the collapse of the Whig party
~Took a strong stance against slavery and the expansion of slavery into new U.S. territories
~Became the dominant opposition of the Democrats
~Aligned itself with big businesses
~Strong believers in free market
~In the 1980's they began to align themselves with church and cultural issues, such as opposing abortion and gay marriage -
Communist Party USA
~One of the country’s most leftist party
~reached its peak of memberships during WWII and rallied in favor of a Soviet-American effort against Germany
~Dedicated to organizing unskilled immigrants into the Trade Union
~Became became leaders in liberal, cultural, and student organizations -
Libertarian Party
~Supports the rights of individuals to exercise authority over their own lives
~Sets against traditional services and regulatory powers of federal state and local government
~Was the 3rd largest political party in the U.S.
~In 2000 its candidate combined to win 1.7 million votes
~Believes that a free market is necessary
~Opposes all the forms of censorship, believes in the right to bear arms, and defends the choice of abortion
~Advocates the repeal of laws against gambling and drug use -
Constitution Party
~Established by Howard Phillips
~Howard left the republican party after finding the party too conservative
~Believe in limiting the federal government to its constitutional boundaries
~Principles revolve around the declaration of independence, the bill of rights, and the bible
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Natural Law Party
~Believe in transcendental meditation
~Endorse the practice of meditation to rehabilitate convicted criminals
~Do not believe in medicine to manage disease, instead believe in stress management to avoid disease
~Show importance of social equality for all people and talk about world peace
~Alternitve methods of energy production, such as renewable energy to preserve the earth -
Reform Party
~A centrist, solution-based party
~Not driven by political ideology
~Impliments the best policies for the majority of all Americans
~Driven by concepts of Ross Perot of reducing national debt , balancing the budget, and improving fair trade deals to protect workers
~Identify problems without using ideology to fix what is wrong
~Do not follow a big government or an anti-government agenda
~Not considered totally liberal or totally conservative
~Review all proposals and then propose an idea -
Green Party
~Grassroot activist
~advocate for social justice and nonviolent resisters
~Believe in peace by cutting the military budget
~Advocate for cutting fossil fuels
~Seen as left-wing on the political spectrum
~Party was formed as a way to publicly support the control of nuclear energy and water pollution
~One of the fastest growing political party, not just in the United States, but throughout the world -
Cited Sources
“Political Party Timeline: 1836-1864.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/lincolns-timeline/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.