The competent political science teacher understands political parties, civic participation, and the electoral process in the United States.

America 's founding fathers were very concerned about the negative aspects of political parties, with George Washington warning of the dangers of political parties in his farewell address. Despite these feelings of fear, political parties emerged quite quickly in the early-1800s, and have served some very useful purposes for voters as well as democracy. According to political scientist Anthony Downs, a political party is “a team of men (and women) seeking to control the government apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election.” Almost all definitions of political parties have one thing in common: they try to win elections. The idea of party competition is vital in a democratic system, because without parties offering choices, there can be no democracy.

Political parties have several main tasks in addition to winning elections and these include: picking candidates, running campaigns, articulating policies, and coordinating policymaking. Political parties in the United States also give cues to voters on how to vote by presenting a party image, usually in conservative or liberal terms. Because political parties are open to all potential voters, the party allows the individual to participate more so in the political process. By helping out with campaigns, donating money, and championing the party's policies, individuals are able to strengthen their voice in government by aligning themselves with like-minded people.

Because politicians are held accountable for their actions while in office through reelections, it is the responsibility of a politician to vote in accordance to promises made while campaigning. Because this is not always the case, some critics of our current political system have declared the need for a “more responsible two-party system.” Under this Responsible Party Model, the parties have an obligation to the voters to meet the following conditions: 1). Parties must present distinct, comprehensive programs for governing the nation 2). Each party's candidates should be dedicated to these programs, 3). The majority party must implement its programs with the minority party stating what it would do if in power and 4). The majority party must accept responsibility for their performance of the government. While this model is a preferred method among many political scientists, this goal is difficult because of the tradition of individualism in American politics.

The historical origins of political parties can be traced back to 1796 with the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Usually associated with Alexander Hamilton, the Federalists were in favor of a bigger national government, as well as a national bank. The Anti-Federalists are usually associated with Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe who favored stronger states' rights with less federal government intervention. While both parties were initially successful, the Federalists were very poorly organized, with the party not even being able to nominate a candidate by 1820. The Anti-Federalist, changing their name to the Democratic- Republican Party was very successful until 1824, gaining a large amount of support in the large, rural south. Eventually the party was torn apart by factionalism within the party, which tried to please everyone after the defeat of the Federalists.

By 1828, Andrew Jackson had taken the Democratic- Republican Party and formed it into something that looks very much like the political parties of today. He was able to form a new coalition of voters that included westerners, southerners, new immigrants, as well as those already settled in America . The party's name was also shortened to the “Democratic Party,” a title that the party still holds today. In opposition to Jackson 's Democratic Party was the Whig Party who was supported by northern industrialists and southern planters, with both groups being more united on the policies that they opposed, rather than the ones they supported. The issue of Slavery eventually ended up splitting both the Democrats and the Whigs, while at the same time allowing the Republican Party to emerge as a competing force in the 1850's as the anti-slavery party. Since the Civil War the party system has remained the same with two main political parties: the Democrats, and the Republicans who were the majority party in American politics up until the great stock market crash of 1929.

During the Depression, the Republican Party refused to acknowledge that the Depression could be cured by legislative action. The public disagreed and elected Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, who promised the country a “New Deal.” Roosevelt was able to get widespread support from: the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals to form what is now known as the New Deal Coalition. This coalition dominated American politics until the late 1960s, when it started to decline thereafter to its ultimate demise in the 1980s. As a result of the New Deal coalition, the size of government grew to unprecedented levels, establishing many of the same social programs that we see today.

From 1968 to the present day era, the country has found itself in an era of divided party government, with one party typically having control over the Congress or the Presidency, but not both. While George W. Bush does enjoy a united government, the margins are very slim, with the Democrats still having a fair amount of power and control, despite having a minority status in Congress. With fewer voters being attached to both political parties, it is difficult for the parties to gain a stronghold on both the Legislative and Executive offices.

While America is commonly thought to have a two-party system, many third parties have run candidates in the past, with some being relatively successful. Third parties come in three different varieties: 1). Parties that promote a certain, select cause or those which are extremely ideological, 2). Parties that splinter from the major parties out of grievances, and 3). Popular individuals who have aspirations to be the President. While third parties rarely win office, they can be effective and influential, sometimes forcing the major parties to change positions on a particular issue. Past Presidential independents include: Eugene Debbs (1912), George Wallace (1968), and most recently Ross Perot (1992 and 1996).

While voting was initially restricted to white, male, landowners, many Amendments have been passed to open up the political process to almost everybody. The Fifteenth (1870) and Nineteenth Amendments (1920) extend the right to vote to African- Americans and Women respectively. The Twenty-Fourth Amendment (1964) got rid of the poll tax which was a common way of denying African- Americans the right to vote in the south, and the Twenty-Sixth Amendment (1971) extended the right to vote to eighteen year olds. By relaxing the laws to vote, individuals are more likely to get involved in the political process, and this is mainly done through political parties, both directly and indirectly.

Since these Amendments, other laws have also been passed to try and increase voter turnout. The Motor Voter Act of 1993 went into effect for the 1996 presidential election, and requires states to permit people to register to vote at the same time they apply for a license. States also have a considerable amount of leeway in establishing laws dealing with residency requirements and registration due dates in order to vote. In addition to being able to regulate registration laws, states also play a large in the organizational structure of political parties, whereby they control the electoral procedures for local party officers. This is part of the decentralized structure of the National Committee, which places heavy emphasis on state law to help control the party.

Campaign finance laws also play a large role on the political system, and there are many laws that regulate different areas of campaign finance. The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974 created the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which provides public financing for presidential primaries and general elections. In addition, the FEC Act also limits presidential campaign spending, requires disclosure of all donations, and makes an attempt to limit contributions. As a result of the 1974 Act, candidates and groups found loopholes and other ways in the law in which to give and receive more money. Soft Money is one of these loopholes, and this is when money is giving to party building expenditures, rather than an individual's campaign, which is considered Hard Money. Another funding vehicle created by the FEC Act of 1974 is Political Action Committees (PAC), which are comprised of corporations, unions, or other interest groups. The case of Buckley v.Valeo (1976) arose as a result of the FEC Act of 1974, and in this case the Supreme Court declared that some of the provisions in the Act violated the First Amendment's protections of freedom of Speech. Because the Supreme Court extended this protection to PACs, they can now spend unlimited amounts of money on indirect spending.

As a result of the problems that emerge from PACs and Soft Money, the McCain-Feingold Act was passed in 2002 to fix some of these problems. The Act: 1). Banned Soft Money Contributions, 2). Increased the amounts that individuals could give to candidates from $1000 to $2000 and indexed the latter amount to rise with inflation, and 3). Barred groups from running “issue ads” within 60 days of the general election if they refer to a federal candidate and are not funded through a PAC. Currently the Constitutionality of this Act is being challenged in Court, a decision that will have a profound impact on the future development of campaign finance.

Through PACs and giving funds to candidates, individuals have an opportunity to have some influence in the political system, which is partially why it is considered freedom of speech. Besides giving money there are also other ways in which individuals can participate in the governmental process. The most common form of political participation is voting, which can sometimes be a problem because a large portion of the voting populace does not exercise this right. Other forms of political participation can include joining an interest group, writing a letter to one's congressman, or participating in a protest. Although there are many avenues in which to participate in the political process, a majority of Americans rarely exercise this right.