Party Development 1789-1796
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Washington’s
Administration
– Thomas Jefferson vs.
Alexander Hamilton
– Hamilton’s national policies
Bank of the U.S.
 Debt plan
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– Jefferson’s egalitarian vision
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States’ rights
Realignment Election of 1800
First Party System (1796-1824)
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Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans
Revolution of 1800
– Jefferson (D-R) defeats Adams (F)
– D-R control Congress
– Peaceful transition of power
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War of 1812
– D-R and War Hawks against Britain
– Federalists support Britain, against war
– Leads to collapse of Federalists
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Era of Good Feelings (1816-1824)
– Virtual one-party system as D-R dominate White House and Congress
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Election of 1824
– Factions develop among D-R leading to Corrupt Bargain as John Quincy
Adams secures victory over Jackson in House
Realignment Election of 1828
Second Party System (1828-1854)
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Democrats vs. National Republicans/Whigs
Andrew Jackson and the Common Man
National Conventions replace Caucuses
– Anti-Masonic Party introduces national convention in 1831
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Whigs
– Henry Clay and the American System
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Democrats
– States’ rights and Manifest Destiny
– Solid South
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Slavery
– Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) weakens Whigs and leads to
founding of Republican Party
Realignment Election of 1860
Third Party System (1860-1896)
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Democrats vs. Republicans
– Government dominated by Republican Party
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Election of 1860, Civil War, Reconstruction
– Lincoln’s election led to Civil War
– Democrats lost power with secession of South
– Radical Republicans enforced party platforms
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Freedmen, Scalawags, Carpetbaggers
Democrats
– Bourbon Democrats - pro-business, laissez-faire
– Redeemers - Southern Democrats return to power at end of Reconstruction
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Republicans
– Mugwumps, Stalwarts, Half-Breeds - civil service reform
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Political Machines and Political Bosses
– Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed
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Populists and Panic of 1893
– Reforms, bimetallism (gold and silver)
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Election of 1896
– William Jennings Bryan (D) vs. William McKinley (R)
Realignment Election of 1896
Fourth Party System (1896-1932)
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Republicans vs. Democrats
Republicans
– Party of business and prosperity
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Democrats
– Embraced progressive reforms and more government intervention
– Solid South
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Progressive Era
Republican Domination of 1920s
– Limited government and pro-business policies
– Crash of 1929 launched Great Depression
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Election of 1932
– Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) vs. Herbert Hoover (R)
– New Deal Coalition

Urban leaders, blacks, Solid South, unions, intellectuals, Catholics, Jews
Realignment Election of 1932
Fifth Party System (1932-Present)
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Democrats vs. Republicans
Democrats
– Have been dominant in most years
– Expansion of federal government

FDR’s New Deal and Johnson’s Great Society
– Dominant in Northeast and Pacific
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Republicans
– Pro-business, assume states’ rights
– Solid South becomes Bible Belt and conservative stronghold
– Dominant in Great Plains and Rocky Mountains
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Current Trends
– Beginning in 1980s, Fifth Party System may be leading to
dealignment
– More independents than party identification
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More split-ticket voting, less straight-ticket voting