Do political parties serve a purpose in the American political system, and if so what is it? If not, why do they not serve a purpose?

Question

Do political parties serve a purpose in the American political system, and if so what is it? If not, why do they not serve a purpose?

Answer 1

Let's look at why political parties in the U.S. got started in the first place for guidance. The first political parties in the U.S. were the Federalist Party, formed by Alexander Hamilton, and the Democratic-Republican Party formed by Thomas Jefferson.

The purpose for those political parties, among other things, was to engage in the debate about the role of the national government, and the liberty interests of the people. The Federalists supported a strong national government, a loose interpretation of the Constitution, and a strong financial system that favored banks and industry. Democratic-Republicans supported strong state governments, a strict interpretation of the Constitution, and state banks and policies that supported small farmers.

These early debates shaped our nation's economy as it moved towards the Market Revolution, the debates also served as a basis for supporting foreign countries at war (specifically France and England in the early 19th century), and led to future justifications for nullification used by the South to secede from the Union and start the Civil War.