Introduction

Enduring Knowledge: Although the two major political parties dominate politics in our nation and have the greatest impact on policies, third parties play an important role in providing alternatives to disillusioned and independent voters.

Analyze the map. What do the red states represent? What do the blue states represent? Why are there only two colors showing on the map? What geographic patterns do you notice about the Democrats and the Republicans (hint: southern states compared to northeastern states)?

Explore the interactive map at U.S. Electoral College to learn more details about the Election of 2012.

Americans have the freedom to support any political party they choose. We learned in the last unit that American politics is dominated by two major political parties, the Democratic and Republican parties. In this lesson, you will learn more about the characteristics of each party and examine the beliefs and regional strongholds of each party. In addition, you will learn how party leadership is structured and how voters join a political party.

If you are eighteen and a citizen of the United States, you will be voting in elections in the near future. Take advantage of the opportunity this lesson offers to explore the Democratic and Republican political parties. You should begin to decide with which party your beliefs most closely align.

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Lesson Objectives

Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

  • analyze the importance of political parties in our political system.
  • summarize the characteristics of contemporary political parties in the U.S. including the role of conventions and party leadership.
  • identify the regional strongholds of each party.
  • describe the general constituency of the two major political parties including who is considered members of each party.
  • describe the reasons for the disillusionment many voters feel toward the major party politics and the resulting rise in independent voters.
  • describe the role and importance of third parties in our political system.

The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: Government objective(s): 10, 10.1, 10.2, and 10.3.

This lesson incorporates the following Literacy Standards: R1, R2, R3, R4, R6, R7, R8, W1, W2, W4, W6, and W9.
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