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| a voter or candidate who does not identify with a political party |
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| a group of political activists who organize to win elections, to operate the government, and to determine public policy |
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| a group or bloc in a legislature or political party acting together in pursuit of some special interest or position |
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| the nucleus of political party activists carrying out the major functions of American political parties |
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| the first American political party, led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adamas. Many of its memebers had strongly supported the adoption of the new constitution and the creation of the federal union |
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| those who opposed the adoption of the Constitution because of its centralist tendancies and attacked the failure of the Constitution's framers to include a bill of rights |
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| the years form 1816 to 1828, when attention centered on the character of individual candidates rather than on party identification |
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| the years from 1817 to 1825, when James Monroe was president and there was, in effect, no political opposition |
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| one of the two major American political parties evolving out of the Jeffersonian Republican group supporting Thomas Jefferson |
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| One of the foremost political organizations in the United States during the first half of the nineteenth century, formally established in 1836 |
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| one of the two major American political parties, which emerged in the 1850s as an antislavery party. It was created to fill the vacuum caused by the disintegration of the Whig Party |
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| a situation in which one major political party controls the presidency and the other controls the chambers of Congress, or in which one party controls a state governship and the other controls the state legislature |
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| those members of the general public who identify with a political party or who express a preference for one party over the other |
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| the formal structure and leadership of a political party, including election committees; local, state, and national executives; and paid professional staff |
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| all of the elected and appointed officials who identify with a political party |
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| the meeting held every four years by each major party to select presidential and vice presidential candidates, to write a platform, to choose a national committee, and to conduct party business. In theory, the national convention is at the top of a hierarchy of party conventions (the local and state conventions are below it) that consider candidates and issues |
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| a document drawn up by the platform committee at each national convention, outlining the policies, positions, and principles of the partyl it is then submitted to the entire convention for approval |
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| a standing committee of a national political party established to direct and coordinate party activities during the four-year period between national party conventions |
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| the principal organized structure of each political party within each state. This committee is responsible for carrying out policy decisions for the party's state convention |
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| all of a state's electoral votes are cast for the presidential candidate receiving a plurality of the popular vote in that state |
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| rewarding faithful party workers and followers with government employment and contracts |
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| voting for candidates of two or more parties for different offices |
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| a political system in which only two parties have a reasonable chance of winning |
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| the pursuit of interests that are of special concern to a region or section of the country |
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| the pursuit of interests that are of concern to the nation as a whole |
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| political preferences based on income level, social status, or both |
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| the total votes cast for a candidate who receives more votes than any other candidate but not necessarily a majority. Most national, state, and local electoral laws provide for winning elections by a plurality vote |
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| a group of persons called electors who are selected by the voters in each state. This group officially elects the president and the vice president of the United States. The number of electors in each state is equal to the number of each state's representatives in both chamber of Congress |
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| a political party other than the two major political parties (Republican and Democratic). Usually, these are composed of dissatisfied groups that have split from the major parties. They act as indicators of political trends and as safety valves for dissident groups |
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| a new party formed by a dissident faction within a major political party |
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| linking oneself to a particular political party |
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