First of all, there's no mention of political parties in the Constitution, so you begin American history with not only no political conventions but also no parties.
Michael BeschlossAs parties began to develop around the turn of the 19th century, you had party nominees for President nominated in caucuses made up of party members in Congress.
Michael BeschlossThen you get to the last half of the 20th century, Americans are getting very skeptical about their leaders and their institutions, and another place that is affected is parties and conventions.
Michael BeschlossSo if 1960 had occurred under the old convention system, Kennedy would have had a very hard time getting the Democratic nomination because he would have been rejected by all those people who had worked with him in Washington.
Michael Beschloss