Name: ________________________________________ Period:_____Category 3 Explanation Guide

Benchmark 2.8 Identify America’s current political parties, and illustrate their ideas about government.

A political party is a group of citizens or voters with similar views on public issues who 1) work together to put their ideas into action in the government, and 2) work together to elect candidates.

One of the most important jobs of political parties is to nominate candidates to run for office as the representatives of their party. Parties choose a candidate who agrees with their beliefs and try to persuade voters to support their candidate. Competing political parties give voters a choice among candidates and ideas.

To know where a party stands on the major issues, the voters can look at the party’s platform. A platform is a written statement of the party’s principles, beliefs, and positions on issues. Party platforms are often the length of short books. Each individual part of a platform is called a plank. The platform communicates to voters what the political party plans to do if it wins. (Examples: Platform Issue = Healthcare; Plank = Agreeing/Disagreeing with government-funded healthcare.)

The United States has a long tradition of a two party system. This means that two major political parties have controlled elections and have the most participation by voters. The two major political parties today are the Democrats and the Republicans.

Because these two major parties have the most support from the public, it is nearly impossible for third parties to win elections. Third parties are political parties that often form on the basis of one or a few issues. These issues might be related to a foreign or domestic affair and, because the concern is so particular, it is difficult to gain popular support. Third party candidates have never won a presidential election and rarely win election to other offices. Below are some examples of current third parties that exist in the United States.

Political parties play a major role and have a large impact in American society. Political parties are important to the democratic process because they help people to communicate their ideas about government. Because political parties are made up of large groups of people, their group’s ideas can be more easily heard by the government. Political parties also educate citizens about issues during elections. Most people vote for candidates from their own political party because of the issues that their political party supports.

Political parties impact the government at the federal, state, and local levels. Because there are many more elected offices at the state and local levels, political parties tend to be more active at these levels. Also, political parties raise and spend money in order to get candidates elected and to help spread their message to voters.

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The political party that wins more seats in one house of the national or state legislature becomes the majority party in that house of the legislature. The party that wins fewer seats in one house of the national or state legislature becomes the minority party in that house of the legislature.

The majority party in the legislature often has more control over the lawmaking process than the minority power. However, the minority party remains active and uses its influence as much as possible in the lawmaking process.

Benchmark 2.9 Evaluate candidates for political office by analyzing their qualifications, experience, issue-based platforms, debates and political ads.

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Benchmark 2.10 Examine the impact of media, individuals, and interest groups on monitoring and influencing government.

The media has a major impact on influencing and monitoring the government. Many times, the media serves as a watchdog, keeping an eye on the government and reporting on what the government does.

Interest groups have a major impact on influencing the government as well. These groups form to support a specific issue and work in large numbers to get their issue recognized by the government.

A Political Action Committee (PAC) is one type of interest group that works to raise money for a particular candidate who supports their issues. Also, interest groups may hire lobbyists, who meet with lawmakers to try to get their support for a bill that would benefit the issue the PAC supports.

Individual citizens impact the government. Simply by carrying out one of their most important civic responsibilities – voting – individuals play a major role in changing the government. Whether it is voting a candidate in or out of office, or voting in favor of or against an amendment to the Florida Constitution, citizens change the government during every election. Voting is one of the most important parts of a democracy.

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Benchmark 2.11Analyze media and political communications (bias, symbolism, propaganda).

This poster was created in 1917, during World War I. This is an example of the government using symbolism and propaganda to influence citizens. Pictured above one can see “Uncle Sam” selling “liberty bonds” – which is a war bond (money that the government borrows from the citizens to fund a war effort) that was used to fund and support the military during World War I. Because the cartoonist used Uncle Sam (the first two letters in Uncle Sam are “U” and “S”; U.S. is also used to represent “United States”), the readers saw it as their “patriotic duty” to buy these bonds to support the war effort. The symbolism (Uncle Sam) and propaganda (“Invest Your Money”) used in this cartoon is an effective way to persuade citizens into thinking or behaving in a certain way.

Bias, symbolism and propaganda can influence public opinion – which is the way that citizens view or feel about candidates or issues. The media plays a major role in influencing public opinion. Oftentimes, the information that the media provides to the public is not balanced, or biased. Bias occurs when one side is favored over another in the presentation of information. Media bias can occur when news stations or news outlets decide what to report on and how much information to reveal to the public. This is a problem for the public because they are only getting the side of the story that the news media want them to hear. Symbolism is the use of symbols to convey a message. The media may use symbolism as a sort of “shortcut” or as a way to target a certain group of people. This can be a problem because many symbols are associated with certain groups, or may even have a negative reputation attached to them. Both bias and symbolism can be viewed as forms of propaganda, which is any attempt to sway the public, including voters, to think or believe something. Propaganda could be the use of symbols, a poster, or a commercial – there is not one specific kind of propaganda that exists. Oftentimes, the behavior or thoughts of voters are changed and influenced when the media introduces propaganda.

Here are some famous examples of propaganda:

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Example #1: Uncle Sam This propaganda poster is one of the most famous pieces of propaganda in American history. This poster was originally intended to appear on a magazine cover during World War I to encourage American citizens to be prepared for the beginning of war. Because this poster was so popular, President Roosevelt decided to use the image of Uncle Sam again in this propaganda poster to encourage young men to join the U.S. Army in World War II. The patriotic colors and the slogan “We Want You!” is a great example of how the government used symbolism and propaganda to get the American public to feel a certain way. It is no surprise that Uncle Sam encouraged hundreds of thousands of men to join the Army and do their “American duty” during World War II.

Example #2: Rosie the Riveter

During World War II, women in the United States entered into the workforce and took on jobs they had not previously needed to do. This was in large part because hundreds of thousands of American men had joined the military to fight enemy forces. “Rosie the Riveter” pictured above was the face of the propaganda campaign that was aimed at getting the help of female workers in the munitions industry (guns, ammunition and weapons). “Rosie” became a symbol of women’s role in supporting the country during World War II and a historic women’s figure. Benchmark 2.12 Develop a plan to resolve a state or local problem by researching public policy alternatives, identifying appropriate government agencies to address the issue, and determining a course of action.

Government at all levels (local, state, or federal) is responsible for protecting and providing for its citizens. When a problem or issue comes up, the citizens can get the help of the government to solve these problems. Many of these government solutions come in the form of public policy – which is a policy (rule or law) that is made in response to an issue or problem that requires attention.

U.S. citizens have the right to say what they think government should do about problems in their communities. Citizens have the right to say what they think about problems in their state and

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nation, and about international issues. Citizens also have the right to try to influence the decisions government officials make about all of those problems.

To be able to participate effectively, citizens need to know which level of government and which governmental agencies are responsible for changing, carrying out, or developing specific public policies. For example, state legislatures may tell agencies to carry out policies that came from federal legislation. Or, local governments may create policies to carry out the responsibilities they are given through laws passed at the state or federal level.

Below are a few additional examples of problems or concerns that could be addressed by the various levels of government: Problem: There have been a lot of car accidents at the same intersection.

Solution: Involve the local government to place a traffic light or stop signs at the intersection to prevent future accidents.

Problem: Florida has a large increase in the number of high school dropouts.

Solution: Contact the state representative or state senator who leads the appropriate legislative committee to introduce a bill that will fund a statewide dropout prevention program in public high schools.

Problem: Elderly citizens cannot afford to pay their medical bills.

Solution: Contact the Congressman/woman who leads the appropriate legislative committee to introduce a bill that helps the elderly with these expenses.

Benchmark 2.13 Examine multiple perspectives on public and current issues.

Citizen participation in the political process is shaped by multiple perspectives. Citizens workindependently, join interest groups, or join political parties to share their perspectives on the direction that the government should take.

Individuals show their multiple perspectives in the political process when they use their FirstAmendment rights and when they vote. First Amendment rights give individuals the right to express their political views through speech, press, peaceable assembly, and petitioning the government. Voting rights give individuals the chance to express their perspectives by choosing one candidate or public policy over another.

Interest groups also show multiple perspectives in the political process when they use their First Amendment rights to peaceable assembly, free speech, and petitioning the government. Interest groups form because of a common goal, and they try to influence people by working together in support of that goal. Interest groups can work with members of Congress or with other elected legislators to get laws passed. This is usually referred to as lobbying. They can educate members of their interest group on key issues they want their members to support.

Through lobbying, making campaign contributions, and getting their message out to influence public opinion, interest groups reflect multiple perspectives through their participation in the political process.

Political parties also reflect multiple perspectives in the political process. A political party is a group of citizens with similar views on public issues who work together to elect candidates who represent their views. Competing political parties give voters a choice among candidates and ideas.

Benchmark 4.1 Differentiate concepts related to U.S. domestic and foreign policy.

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The U.S. government focuses on many different domestic policy issues. Some examples of domestic policy issues are social welfare, health care, and education.

Social welfare means that the government provides help to those in need. The government has economic programs for mothers with children, people who are unemployed, and people who are disabled. The Social Security program was started in 1936 to help the elderly by providing them with a monthly income after they retire.

The government is also involved with health care. Medicare was started to help the elderly pay for the medical care and medicine they need and often cannot afford. Medicaid was started to help the poor pay for medical care and medicine they need and often cannot afford.

The federal government also focuses on improving education. The government provides money for a variety of programs that help students and teachers at all levels of education. One example of a federal education policy was the No Child Left Behind Act, which changed education standards and created new tests to measure student achievement.

On the other hand, the federal government is also concerned with foreign affairs, or relationships with other nations. The federal government makes foreign policy to decide how it will interact with nations around the world.

The President and the Secretary of State are the main leaders in charge of foreign policy.They usually have several general goals for their foreign policy. These goals include: (1) national security (keeping the United States safe, especially at its borders), (2) promoting peace (creating relationships and alliances with other nations, (3) spreading democracy (talking with other nations about the benefits of democratic government), (4) promoting international trade (the buying and selling of goods between countries) and (5) providing foreign aid (military, economic, and other types of help to countries in need). One example of foreign aid was the Marshall Plan, through which the United States helped to rebuild Europe after the destruction there during World War II.

The U.S. government has to create a plan for diplomacy in order to keep good relationship with other nations. Ambassadors and diplomats, including the Secretary of State, work all around the world on these relationships. Sometimes they have to solve problems that come up in relationships with other countries.

The U.S. government also has to decide which countries to form an alliance with. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is one example of a strong military alliance between the U.S. and many European countries.

As part of the president’s cabinet, the Secretary of State has an important role in guiding and carrying out the nation’s foreign policy plan. The Secretary of State, who serves as head of the State Department, gives advice to the president, visits other nations, and holds meetings with foreign leaders and government officials. There are also ambassadors who represent the U.S. around the world.

By meeting with leaders of other nations, the Secretary of State learns more about these nations. The Secretary of State shares important information with the President that will both keep the country safe and keep the peace with other countries.

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Benchmark 4.2 Recognize government and citizen participation in international organizations.

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Benchmark 4.3 Describe examples of how the United States has dealt with international conflicts.

The United States Constitution grants specific powers to Congress and the president when it comes to dealing with other nations, especially during conflicts.

Article I of the Constitution discusses the powers of the legislative branch (Congress) and grants the power to declare war, the power to approve spending (on the military) and the power to raise an army and navy. The U.S. Senate is given the sole power to ratify treaties in Article II.

Congress has used its power to declare war five times in United States history. Two of these wars took place during the 20th century (1900-1999). 1. World War I – declared war on Germany after German U-Boats sunk British submarines

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and merchant ships carrying U.S. citizens. 2. World War II – declared war on Japan after Japan bombed a naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Hawaii was a U.S. territory at the time.

Article II of the Constitution discusses the powers of the executive branch (president) and grants the president the title of Commander in Chief. This means that the president is in charge of the military and has the power to send troops overseas.

Presidents throughout history have been known to interpret their power as Commander in Chief to mean that they can send U.S. military troops into conflict or “war-like” situations without a formal declaration of war from Congress. Examples of this include U.S. involvement in the Korean War (1950-1953), the Vietnam War (1964-1975), Gulf War I (1990-1991) and Gulf War II (2003 – present).

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