December 17th, 2020 
Write an essay in which you demonstrate
your understanding of what was, perhaps, the most important extra-constitutional development in
American political history, viz., the creation of permanent political parties. Specifically,
Illuminate 1) the founders three arguments for a non-partisan political system, and
2) their reason for not banning political parties in spite of these arguments.
Discuss Martin Van Burens three-part defense of permanent, two-party competition.
Provide the late 19th
-century reformers (i.e., the Mugwumps) 1) critique of political
parties and 2) their proposed remedy for the problem you just identified.
Explain 1) how the Progressives critical view of political parties differed from that of the
late 19th
-century reformers, 2) the reform that the Progressives proposed, 3) the degree to
which the Progressives were successful in implementing that reform, and 4) when it was
that the Progressives proposed reform was fully realized.
Explain Michael Nelsons view of the Progressives success in this regard. (Nelson
wrote The Case for the Current Presidential Nominating Process.)
Why might Joe McGinnis (author of The Selling of the President, 1968) disagree with
Nelson?
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