Political parties in the United States,
1896–1929
Figure 1. Political parties in the United States, 1896–1929. Click to zoom in. A
PDF version (8.5"×14") is also available.
Political parties have shifted many times in 220 years of national politics. Even when
parties have kept the same names for long periods, their issues, principles, supporters, and
regional support all change over time.
This chart shows the evolution of political party systems in the U.S. from 11896 to
1929. Each “party system” is a roughly defined time period in which two major political
parties, each with fairly consistent supporters and beliefs, dominated the political scene.
The colored lines represent organized parties that had a significant impact on national
politics, electing members of Congress or receiving more than 1% of the vote for President.
Where the lines merge and split, parties split or party affiliations changed dramatically in a
short period of time. Presidential candidates are also listed for each party. The winner of
each presidential election is designated with a bulls-eye.
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Fourth party system (1896–1932)
The Republicans’ victory in the election of 1896 began an era of Republican dominance
that lasted for 36 years. The only Democratic president during this period, Woodrow
Wilson, was elected when the Republican Party split in 1912.
Voting blocs were essentially the same as in the third party system, with Republicans
stronger than ever in the industrial North and winning support from people of all
economic classes. Business interests dominated for most of this period, but the Progressive
movement rose in response, demanding reforms of industry and society. Reform had some
support from both parties; the questions of how to promote business while reining in its
abuses dominated domestic politics. The U.S. also became increasingly involved in
international affairs, in the Caribbean, the Pacific, and in Europe during World War I.
In the election of 1896, the Republicans spent unprecedented amounts of money and
used new advertising techniques to reach voters. Their techniques of fundraising and
advertising now became the norm for both parties.
DEMOCRATIC
• Effectively the only party in the “solid South,” with African-Americans prevented from
voting.
• Still supported by farmers, especially in the West, but support dwindling in the
Northeast.
• Southern influence meant support for economically conservative policies.
• Supported by most immigrant groups in northern cities, who favored pro-labor
policies.
• Tended to oppose reforms such as Prohibition.
REPUBLICAN
• Included some Progressive reformers such as Theodore Roosevelt, but dominated by
pro-business conservatives after World War I.
• Strongly nationalist, supporting unity and expansion of national interests, but opposed
entry into World War I. Isolationist after the war.
• More likely to support moral reform, including Prohibition.
• Dominated politics in the 1920s after the failures of Woodrow Wilson’s international
policies.
• Strongly supported by women after passage of the Nineteenth Amendment.
The parties in North Carolina
North Carolina effectively disfranchised African Americans (page ) in 1900. Their support had been
crucial to Republican candidates, and the Republican Party now became a minority in North
Carolina, as it did in most of the South. In the mountains, there were a few pockets of Republican
support — left over, in part, from westerners’ opposition to the Civil War — but in the rest of the
state, Democrats held a strong majority.
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There were still differences of opinion, of course, but they were mostly fought out within the
Democratic Party. The Democratic primary election was now the election that mattered; whoever won
it was almost assured of victory over his Republican opponent.
The “Solid South,” as the Democrats called their support from (white) southerners, did not always
agree with national party leaders. Southern Democrats were a voice of conservatism, preventing the
party from fully embracing Progressive Era reforms. Some Democrats within North Carolina pushed
for reform — the state got its first state parks in this period, for example, and increased spending on
education. Many southern Democrats also supported moral reforms such as Prohibition. But for the
most part, the state’s Democratic leaders resisted the changes that northern Democrats, who often
represented immigrant workers and ethnic groups in cities, pushed for.
On the web
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including Democratic Party, North Carolina, People's Party, Progressive Party, Republican party,
United States, history, political parties, and politics.
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