I own a 1988 ford f150 with a 5.0litre.?

i bought a brand new alternator at advance auto parts. it came with a new power wire that i did not install. i did not think i needed it. although i had a friend give me a jump, it got power and everything, just need to know why my brand new alternator is not charging my battery. should i install the new wire connector? is that even the problem? im getting a brand new battery soon and i need to know if its going to go to junk like the one i have now...any suggestions would be nice, I NEED MY WHEELS!!! cant live without my truck any longer...