The Role of Third Parties in American Politics, Essay Example

“Third parties” are smaller parties that have little political influence and little chances of promoting a successful candidate for presidency. However, the role they play is really important. First and foremost, they prevent both leading parties from monopolizing political life. Moreover, they present a variety of political choice for those who are not satisfied with the major parties.

Finally, a number of important social and political concepts have been generated within third parties. For instance, it was third parties (Prohibition and Socialist Parties) that first advocated women’s suffrage which was supported by the Republicans and Democrats only later. The Socialist Party is also responsible for having promoted regulations on child labor and limiting hours of work for children in the United States in 1904. Alongside with the Populist Party, the Socialists also suggested the 40-hour work week. The same parties proposed dependence between tax liability and income, i.e. income tax law project which was ratified in 1913. In 1968, the Republican party borrowed the idea of “getting tough on crime” from the American Independent Party and issued Safe Streets Act as one of the results.

The largest third parties today are as follows: the Constitution Party, the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Reform Party.