This easy-to-use volume contains brief essays on the origins and development of the American party system, plus short profiles of major and most third parties in American history and aspects of political campaigns and elections-from campaigning and campaign finance to presidential primaries and political party conventions. The appendix contains several tables of important political facts, such as U.S. presidents and vice presidents, election data, party control of Congress and the White House, and all presidential and vice-presidential party nominees from 1831 to 2000. A detailed index completes the volume.