This week we learned about the important functions of political parties. You also had the opportunity to browse the Democratic and Republican Party platforms for your reading. In this activity, pretend you are in charge of your own political party and write a platform for your political party.

Your platform and reflection essay should be at least 500 words long and address the following:

Part 1 – Your Platform

• Name your party.
• Identify and describe one domestic policy that your party would support. Give a paragraph description of that domestic policy. Be very detailed and specific in your description. (Domestic policy is anything that impacts how people live their lives within the borders of a nation.)
• Identify and describe one specific economic policy that your party would support. Give a paragraph description of that economic policy. Be very detailed and specific in your description. (Economic policy is all those policies that affect the distribution and exchange of property, wealth, and capital. Think about things that impact money and how much people have and how people can make more.)
• Identify and describe one specific foreign policy that your party would support. Give a paragraph description of that foreign policy. Be very detailed and specific in your description. (Foreign policy is how a nation interacts with other nations.)

Part 2 – Reflection Essay

Write an essay in which you compare and contrast each of your three policies, one at a time, to similar policies from the platforms of the Democratic and Republican parties. How are your policies similar to the policies of the two major parties? How your policies different from the policies of the two major parties? Be specific and include specific examples. Conclude your comparison and contrast essay by discussing which of the two major parties your political party most similar to?

Don’t forget to include a reference list.