Lesson 16: What Is the Role of Political Parties in the Constitutional System?
Why did the Framers oppose political parties? (Video)
Framers' opposition to political parties; fear of corruption and paralysis in government; difference between political parties and factions; special interest groups as factions; political parties as part of the structure of government; political parties as national entities with a broad range of interests that operate in all levels and branches of local, state, and national government.
Student Questions: Unit 3, Lesson 16, Sections 1-3 (pdf download)
Image credits: Bipartisan congressional leadership committee meeting by Pete Souza, 2010, Wikimedia Commons/Obama White House; Mount Vernon Sierra Club Endorsement Meeting by Cliff, 2010, Flickr/Cliff/CC BY 2.0.
What issues led to the emergence of political parties? (Video)
Issues leading to the emergence of political parties including scope of national power, tensions with France and Great Britain, and Sedition Act and other laws passed by the Federalist Party; emergence of Federalists and Democratic Republicans; Revolution of 1800; Electoral College and the Twelfth Amendment.
How have political parties grown and what functions do they perform? (Video)
Evolution and growth of political parties; functions served by political parties; impact of Twelfth Amendment; political parties today; issues regarding political parties, such as gerrymandering, role of money, divisiveness, and stalemates; difficulties regarding emergence of third parties as related to single-member districts, lack of proportional representation, and lack of funding.
The American Presidential Election of 1800 (Video)
A video about the Revolution of 1800: the shift of executive control from the Federalists to the Republicans.
Alexander Hamilton: First Secretary of the Treasury (Video)
A brief video discussing the life of Alexander Hamilton. From the History Channel.
Thomas Jefferson (Video)
A dramatization of Thomas Jefferson's inaugural address.
Thomas Jefferson & His Democracy (Video)
A video about Thomas Jefferson's presidency from the Crash Course US History.
The Alien and Sedition Acts (Video)
Facing fierce Republican criticism in the press, John Adams and Federalists in Congress passed laws now known as the Alien and Sedition Acts.
Political Parties: Cram for the Exam (Video)
Two teachers explain how American political parties work and why they are important.
Political Parties: Mobilizing Agents (Video)
Political Parties: Mobilizing Agents is the twelfth video of the Democracy in America series. Describes the role of political parties in the American political system. From Annenberg Media's Learner.org website. Produced by the Educational Film Center in 2003. Registration and log-in required. Length: 28 min., 28 sec.
