This document contains notes from a US History class covering several topics: 1. It lists questions still having about concepts covered in Unit 1 like forms of government and constitutional principles. 2. It provides homework and website comment assignment details. 3. It introduces a discussion about political parties and spectra as well as notes on the origins of Democratic donkeys and Republican elephants as symbols. 4. Charts compare stereotypes and tendencies of the Democratic and Republican parties in the US in terms of their platforms and who they traditionally attract.

1. Questions we still have….
After taking our unit 1 test
1.Monarchy v. dictatorship
2.Limited gov.
3.Establish justice means…
4.Constitution v. Bill of Rights
5.Autocracy v. dictatorship
6.Federalism

2. HW#9
due tomorrow 10/06
Go to and leave a
comment

3. US History
Ms. Gonzalez
October 5th, 2016
Aim: Where do you fall in the
political spectrum?
Do Now:

4. an organized group
of people with common values and
beliefs who try to get their candidates
elected to political office

5. What are “Third Parties”?
Third Parties: representing minority opinions that
challenge the Democrats and Republicans
Some successful Third Parties:
- Libertarian Party: third most popular party in U.S. today
- Green Party: formed to protect the environment

6. an organized group of
people with common values and beliefs
who try to get their candidates elected to
political office

10. — Presidential candidate Andrew
Jackson was the first Democrat ever to be associated
with the donkey symbol.
• His opponents during the election of 1828 tried to
label him a ʺjackassʺ for his “stubborn” populist
beliefs and slogan, ʺLet the people rule.ʺ Jackson
was entertained by the notion and ended up using
it to his advantage on his campaign posters.
• But cartoonist Thomas Nast is credited with making
the donkey the recognized symbol of the
Democratic Party. It first appeared in a cartoon in
Harperʹs Weekly in 1870. By 1880 it had already
become the unofficial symbol of the party.

11. — Political cartoonist
Thomas Nast was also responsible for the
Republican Party elephant.
• In a cartoon that appeared in Harperʹs
Weekly in 1874, Nast drew a donkey clothed
in lionʹs skin, scaring away all the animals at
the zoo. One of those animals, the elephant,
was labeled ʺThe Republican Vote.ʺ Thatʹs all
it took for the elephant to become associated
with the Republican Party.

12. is the list of the
principles which a political party supports.
1. What do you already know about
the platforms of the two major
political parties?
2. What stereotypes exist about
Republicans and Democrats?

13. Task:
• In pairs, complete the organizer
by identifying the differences in
the party platforms of both the
Democrats and the
Republicans.

14. What are the
characteristics of
the Democratic
Party?
Tends to Attract:
- Working people (blue
collar)
- Liberals
- Minorities
- Union Members
- People in favor of govt.
involvement in social
policies

15. Tends to attract:
- Business people
(white collar)
- Conservatives
- Non-minorities
- Non-union supporters
- People against govt
involvement in social
policies
What are the
characteristics of
the Republican
Party?