Appropriate for undergraduate history students and general readers with an interest in American politics, this volume on the traditional two party system examines the history of American political parties and explores the ways in which these organizations mediate the democratic experience. Topics discussed include the founding principles of American parties, evolution of party stances over time, party organizations in the twenty-first century, parties and social media, campaign finance and networked political parties, and third parties in the networked age. The volume includes a variety of tables and case study sidebars. White is a professor of politics at the Catholic University of America and Kerbel is a professor of political science at Villanova University. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)