The People and the Ballot: A History of American Party Politics

This course provides an understanding of how American politics works and can help make sense of election results and political trends. By understanding political parties, we can better understand what is going on in American politics today and in which direction American politics may be going.

• Lecture 1 The Birth of Political Parties
• Lecture 2 The Origins of the Democratic Party
• Lecture 3 The Origins of the Republican Party
• Lecture 4 Third Parties in the Nineteenth Century
• Lecture 5 Third Parties in the Twentieth Century
• Lecture 6 Comparative Analysis and Party Realignment
• Lecture 7 Anti-Party Reforms
• Lecture 8 The Electoral College
• Lecture 9 Reapportionment and Redistricting
• Lecture 10 Parties in Congress
• Lecture 11 Party Identification
• Lecture 12 The Solid South
• Lecture 13 The Southern Strategy and the Transformation of the South
• Lecture 14 The Future of the American Party System