The Other Choice:

Third Parties

http://put.the.URL.here.html
by

Annick Gillot Smith

Introduction | Task | Resources | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion

Introduction

Can you name a political party that is not the Democrats or the Republicans? Did you know that there are many other political parties available in the United States? Often, people feel that they only have one choice when they vote: the donkey or the elephant. The non-Democrat, non-Republican parties are known collectively as third parties. On the internet, there are many souces that can tell you what the political platforms and ideas of these so-called third parties are. The third party candidates usually do not get elected to office because their party does not have the money necessary for large-scale advertising. A notable exception to this was the election of Minnisota's new Governor: Jessie "the body" Ventura. He is a member of the Reform party, but he has many Libertarian ideas.

The Task

For this webquest, you will have several tasks that will serve to get you better acquainted with the third parties.

• Give a one paragraph summary of that party's ideas. Make sure you include how that party stands on some contriversal issues such as abortion and the death penalty.
• Identify which party interests you most--either because you agree or totally disagree with its ideas.
• You are running for Governor of California as a member of a third party. Write a one minute campaign speech that you would give as a member of that party. Selected representitives will be asked to give their speech to the class at a later date.

Resources

Libertarian Sites

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6529/index4.html

http://www.libmov.com/foundati.htm

Green Party Sites

http://www.greens.org/california/pl98/10k.htm

http://www.greens.org/california/pl98/vis.htm

http://www.greenparties.org/

Peace and Freedom Sites

http://www.peaceandfreedom.org/

http://www.peaceandfreedom.org/what_is.htm

Reform Party Sites

http://www.reformparty.org

http://www.reformparty.org/candidates/cand_news.htm

American Independent Sites

http://www.wordpr.com/aip/platform.html

http://www.ustaxpayers.org/ustp-96p.html

Socialist Site

http://sp-usa.org/lit/wwr98.htm

Communist Site

http://www.wordpr.com/aip/platform.html

Natural Law Sites

http://www.natural-law.org/nlpusa/Introduction.html

http://www.natural-law.org/nlpusa/why_nlp/new_approach2.html

http://www.natural-law.org/nlpusa/California.html

The Process

The process for this webquest is quite simple. Follow the steps as outlined below:

1. The sites are grouped by party. Visit each site in the group and take notes on the ideas of that party. Remember to look for controversial issues.
2. Make sure you go to the sites for all of the parties.
3. Write a paragraph on each of the parties detailing their platforms and ideas. Include at least one controversial issue per party. E-mail these paragraphs to your teacher.
4. You will need to find one party that really catches your attention. Either you really agree with the party, or really disagree with it. You need to tell your teacher which party you find the most interesting either in person ov via e-mail. Your teacher will make sure that are at least two students covering each party.
5. As a member of the party from step 4, you need to write a one minute campaign speech you would give if you were running for governor of California (or the state you live in). Make sure you include the issues that "your party" really feels are important. E-mail your speech to your teacher. Your teacher will pick several students to give their speech in class at a later date.

It will take about three hours to complete this webquest. The first two hours you will work on steps one through four. If you finish these steps early, go on to step five. The third hour is reserved for the research and writing of your speech from step five.

Evaluation

Your grade will be based on the two assignments outlined above--specifically steps three and five. Step three will be graded on completeness and throughness. Did you go to all of the sites or just glance through one or two and spend you time elsewhere on the web? The speech will be judged on how well you stick to the ideas of the party. Did you follow the ideals of the party or did you let your biases come through? Your speech will also be judge on style. A politician who uses bad grammar is not highly thought of. Have a neighbor proof-read your speech.

Conclusion

George Washington, in his Farewell Address to the nation in 1797, warned against the formation of political parties. Obviously, his advice has not been heeded. Political parties, he believed, would split the nation apart. In our nation today, we have to two main parties--the Democrats and the Republicans--and a larger number of third parties. Do you think this factioning of people into discrete catergories is a help or a hinderance to our nation as a whole and to the functioning of the government? Would our nation be better off if we got rid of political parties, or do you think these political divisions are inevitable.

Last updated November 23, 1998

Based on a template from The Webquest Page.