Third Party

            Despite being the constant underdog and loser in major elections third parties make some significant contribution to the political spectrum in the United States. Third Party Agendas are taken serious by the Democratic and Republican Parties and specific pieces of the Third Party Agendas are sometimes adopted by the two major parties. Third parties give discontented voters other alternatives. The Republican and Democratic Parties have been known to operate in similar styles and third parties give the voter the opportunity to express their discontent. The third parties in the United States are policy advocates and often are more specific about were they stand ideologically. Often the Republican and Democratic Parties try and take a moderate approach to political issues, and third parties are more conservative or liberal when it comes to political issues. Also, third parties tend to do exactly the opposite when their agenda concerns social issues. Then there is thespoiler factor? a Third Party Candidate can collect enough votes to change the outcome of a Presidential Election. .
             In the United States political scientist and other scholars have placed third parties into four specific categories with various political functions. First, third parties are sometimes created to address sectional issues. Meaning a geographical area has a political or social issue or issues that are not being satisfied by the two major parties. Sectional Parties are often created and used to express the rights of particular states in America. One of the best examples of a sectional party was the Dixiecrat party of the south. The party was formed in southern states over the issue of Civil Rights and integration in the Unites States. Secondly, historically third parties have been formed to address single issues. In the United States these issues have included things such as slavery, prohibition, agricultural concerns, and other social issues.