1903. Luetscher takes a historical look at the development of political parties, which was closely linked to the extension of the suffrage as qualifications requiring property ownership to vote were lifted during the early 1800s. With a vastly expanded electorate, a means was required to mobilize masses of voters. Political parties became institutionalized to accomplish this essential task. Thus parties in America emerged as a part of this democratic revolution, and by the 1830s were a firmly established part of the political firmament. Contents: The Limitations Upon Suffrage; The Democratic Societies; The Genesis of the County Convention; and State Nominating Machinery.