ABSTRACT
The political propagandist/publicist has played a vital role in the nation’s politics since the first party system was formed in the late 1790s. The second party system, born in the Jacksonian Revolution of the 1820s and 1830s, brought an enhanced role for the political propagandist and the first White House public relations adviser. The third party system, that was born of the divisive issue of slavery on the eve of the Civil War and dominated by the Republican and Democratic parties, has governed American political elections until recent times when the influence of the party in campaigns has been lessened by the emergence of the political campaign specialist, a burgeoning field of public relations practice.
