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U.S. Political Parties : Home

Research guide covering the major political parties in the United States throughout history.

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Political Typology Assessments

Bring It to the Table

A fresh, provocative, even humorous study of political identity, Bring It to The Table features Americans from all walks of life sharing their beliefs and values about the hot-button topics of today. In this time of increasing hyperpartisanship, insults, and gridlock, Bring It to The Table offers an antidote to negativity and a hopeful way to move our democracy forward.

Source: Kanopy

Elections and Political Parties

A government of the people, by the people, and for the people isn’t possible without the laborious process of nominating and electing candidates, in a manner fair and free to all citizens. How did this process begin and how has it evolved over the course of American history? Does it even remotely resemble—for better or for worse—the manner in which the Founding Fathers gained high office? Using the 2000 election of George W. Bush and the uncertainties it exposed in the American electoral process as a departure point, this program examines how political parties were started, and why; methods and campaigns that were launched to elect different Presidents to office; and the history of voting and the constitutional amendments that made voting possible for all Americans. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide is available online. A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production. A part of the series U.S. Government: How It Works.

Source: Films on Demand

Perspectives

Parties and Elections in America

This classic text provides an in-depth examination and history of American political parties and their critical role in representative democracy at the local, state, and national levels. Focused on the continued evolution and significance of parties in the American political system, separate chapters are devoted to key topics such as the impact of social media in the electoral process, and recent developments in campaign finance. The seventh edition fully incorporates the results of the 2012 presidential election and the 2014 midterm elections, as well as the impact of the Tea Party within the Republican party and important demographic shifts in the American electorate.

The Rise of American Democracy

In this magisterial work, Sean Wilentz traces a historical arc from the earliest days of the republic to the opening shots of the Civil War. One of our finest writers of history, Wilentz brings to life the era after the American Revolution, when the idea of democracy remained contentious, and Jeffersonians and Federalists clashed over the role of ordinary citizens in government of, by, and for the people. The triumph of Andrew Jackson soon defined this role on the national level, while city democrats, Anti-Masons, fugitive slaves, and a host of others hewed their own local definitions. In these definitions Wilentz recovers the beginnings of a discontenttwo starkly opposed democracies, one in the North and another in the Southand the wary balance that lasted until the election of Abraham Lincoln sparked its bloody resolution. 75 illustrations.

Party of the People

After more than two centuries of sometimes stormy, always intriguing history, the Democratic Party of the United States survives as the oldest political organization in the world. InParty of the People, veteran political chronicler Jules Witcover traces the Democratic Party’s evolution, from its roots in the agrarian, individualistic concepts of Thomas Jefferson to its emergence as today’s progressive party of social change and economic justice. Witcover describes the Democrats' dramatic struggle to deÞne themselves and shares with us half a century of personal observation of the party through its most turbulent times. First called, oddly enough, the Republican Party but later known as the Democratic-Republican Party and eventually the Democratic Party, this creature of Jefferson and James Madison evolved from an early ideological and personal struggle with the commerce-minded Alexander Hamilton. Seasoned by the populism of Andrew Jackson, the party was nearly undone by the “peculiar institution” of slavery in the South, which led to the birth of the rival Republican Party and to the Civil War. Half a century later, America emerged from World War I under Democrat Woodrow Wilson as a reluctant international player, and from World War II under Franklin Roosevelt as a liberal bastion and global superpower. In the civil rights revolution, the party shed much of its racist past, but subsequent white middle-class resentments and the divisive Vietnam War opened the door to a rival conservatism that effectively demon-ized Democratic liberalism. Defensively, the party under Bill Clinton sought safer centrist ground and seemed on the brink of establishing a “third way," until the disastrous 2000 electoral college defeat of Al Gore left the Democrats shaken and splintered. As the new century emerges, they are debating whether to return to their liberal roots, setting themselves clearly apart from the Republicans, or press on with the centrist pursuit of a broader, less liberal constituency. InParty of the People(a perfect companion toGrand Old Partyby Lewis L. Gould, a history of the Republicans published simultaneously by Random House), Jules Witcover offers a rich and comprehensive popular history of the ideas, struggles, and key Þgures that have deÞned the Democratic Party over the past two hundred years and are now

Grand Old Party

From Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War through the disputed election of George W. Bush and beyond, the Republican Party has been at the dramatic center of American politics for 150 years. In this exciting new book, the Þrst comprehensive history of the Republicans in 40 years, Lewis L. Gould traces the evolution of the Grand Old Party from its emergence as an antislavery coalition in the 1850s to its current role as the champion of political and social conservatism. Gould brings to life the major Þgures of Republican history--Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Ronald Rea-gan, and George W. Bush--and uncovers a wealth of fascinating anecdotes about Republicans, from “the Plumed Knight,” James G. Blaine, in the 1880s, to Barry Goldwater in the 1960s, to Newt Gingrich in the 1990s. Gould also uncovers the historical forces and issues that have made the Republicans what they are: the crusade against slavery, the rise of big business, the Cold War, and opposition to the power of the federal government. Written with balance and keen insight,Grand Old Partyis required reading for anyone interested in American politics. Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike will Þnd their understanding of national politics deepened and enriched. Based on Gould’s research in the papers of leading Republi-cans and his wide reading in the party’s history, Grand Old Party is a book that will outlast the noisy tumult of today’s partisan debates and endure as a deÞnitive treatment of how the Republicans have shaped the way Americans live together in a democracy. For the next presidential election and for other electoral contests to come, this book (a perfect companion toParty of the Peopleby Jules Witcover, a history of the Democratic Party published simultaneously by Random House) will be an invaluable guide to the unfolding saga of American politics.

Political Parties Before the Constitution

This is the first book dealing with any period in American history which attempts to describe and analyze national politics through studying voting patterns in state legislatures. During the 1780s two relatively stable legislative parties" emerged in every state, and each state possessed common characteristics. Main labels these parties "localists" and "cosmopolitans" and show how such issues as funding of debts, paper money, and land prices provided a battlefield for those early part division. Originally published in 1972. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

We Have Come to Stay

This book demonstrates convincingly that women have been immersed in partisan politics since the Gilded Age, and not as had been thought only since the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920. Women's different political styles have influenced party strategy, changed structures and coloured ideology.

The Modern Political Tradition

Liberty. Democracy. Rights. Community. Without even realizing it, we all use the fruits of political philosophy. The question is, are we using them well? This is your opportunity to navigate the labyrinth of Western political and social theory. Trace the rise of movements including capitalism, liberalism, conservatism, nationalism, socialism, and communism.

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A Third Choice

This program examines America’s fascinating national experience with third parties and independent candidates, covering more than 200 years of American political history. The program looks back to the birth of the two-party system and explores the most influential third-party movements in American political history, including Abraham Lincoln and the rise of the Republicans, Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party, Strom Thurmond’s Dixiecrats and Henry Wallace’s Progressives in the 1948 elections, George Wallace’s American Independent Party in 1968, and Ross Perot. The program features interviews with leading academic experts on American politics, a rich collection of campaign memorabilia, rare archival footage, artwork, political cartoons, and campaign songs. (57 minutes)

Source: Films on Demand