Political Parties and the Constitution

by Michael Les Benedict

Overview

In his essay, Michael Les Benedict surveys the impact of the Constitution on the creation, development, and organization of political parties. Drawing examples from the time of the Founding Fathers, Benedict also explores the impact of political parties on the shaping of the Constitution to the present day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780872290426
Publisher:	American Historical Association
Publication date:	12/01/2015
Series:	New Essays on American Constitutional History
Pages:	77
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Michael Les Benedict is an emeritus professor of history at Ohio State Uni¬versity, the parliamentarian for the American Historical Association, and a member of the AHA's Task Force on Intellectual Property. Benedict received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Illinois and his Ph.D. from Rice University. He has contributed several crucial works to the field of Civil War and Reconstruction studies, including The Impeachment and Trail of Andrew Johnson (1973), A Compromise of Principle: Congressional Repub¬licans and Reconstruction, 1863-1869 (1975), Fruits of Victory: Alternatives in Restoring the Union, 1865-1877 (1986), and Preserving the Constitution: Essays on Politics and the Constitution in the Reconstruction Era (2006). He is also the author of The Blessings of Liberty and other works on American constitutional history.

Table of Contents

Series Introduction

Introduction

Chapter 1. The Founders and the Evils of Parties
Parties as a Danger to Republican Government
The Constitution against Parties

Chapter 2. The Persistence of Party: Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans

Chapter 3. Political Parties and Constitutional Politics
Constitutional Politics and Constitutional Law
Partisan Eras and the Constitution
Constitutional Politics and the Institutionalization of Parties in the Jacksonian Era
Parties and the Constitution in the Civil War and Reconstruction Partisan Era
Parties and the Constitution in the Progressive Era Party System
Parties and the Constitution in the New Deal Party System
Parties and Constitutional Politics in the Civil Rights Era
Constitutional Politics in the Conservative Partisan Era

Chapter 4. Other Constitutional Functions of Political Parties
Forging Governing Majorities
Recruitment of Public Servants
Opening Government Positions to Ordinary Citizens
Making Issues Comprehensible to the Public
Making Government Responsive to Public Opinion

Chapter 5. The Influence of the Constitution on Political Parties
The Impact of the Federal System on Political Parties
The Presidential Appointing Power and Political Parties
The Electoral College and the Two-Party System
Regulation of Parties, and Its Limits
The Supreme Court and Political Parties

Epilogue: Political Parties and the Constitution

Further Reading

Endnotes