Political Parties
• Before parties could become legitimate,
people had to separate in their minds fights
over policies and elections from fights over
the legitimacy of the government itself.
You are a danger to the U.S.
Constitution!
Anti-monarchy
Your mom.
Anti-anarchy
First Party System (1790-1820)
• Democratic Republicans v. Federalists
• Congressional Caucus chose candidates for president
and vice president.
• Electoral college: diminishes the power of the large
states and most people were ignorant about who the
candidates were.
• Each state selected electors however they wished
(usually state legilatures).
• Parties were regional. Farmers in Virginia were
Republicans but farmers in Massachusetts were
Federalists.
• Political participation very limited.
Second Party System (1824-1854)
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Democrats v. Whigs
Republicans dominated elections so much that Federalists ceased to exist as a
political party.
Political participation is greatly expanded (laws make voting requirements less
strict, increasing population, and westward expansion).
– 1824= 365,000 votes
– 1828= 1 million votes
– 1840 = 2 million votes
•
•
Electors selected by popular vote in nearly every state.
Caucus system replaced with party convention (most popular candidate in
Congress finishes third in the election of 1824 but the most popular candidate
among the people isn’t chosen for president in the House). Spoils System is born!
– Anti-Masonic party has first party convention.
– Anti-Jackson Republicans (National Republicans) nominate Henry Clay
– Democrats hold their first convention in 1832, reelecting Jackson. 1836 with Martin Van
Buren
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•
Anti-Jackson Republicans eventually call themselves whigs.
Jacksonian Republicans (Jacksonians) eventurally call themselves democrats.
Third Party System (1854-1896)
• Republicans v. Democrats
• Sectionalism and the issue of slavery divides the Whigs and
Democrats
• Republican party is the only third party to become a major
party.
• Those who supported the Union became Republicans
• Those who supported the Confederacy became Democrats.
• Whigs joined one party or the other (Democrats and Whigs
kept the country united until the issue of slavery couldn’t
be contained).
• Republicans dominate the presidency and the Senate.
Democrats control the House because there were a lot of
Northern Democrats.
Fourth Party System (1896-1932)
• Democrats v. Republicans
• William Jennings Bryan splits the Democratic Party. He
alienated northeastern democrats and courted voters in
the South and Midwest.
• Northern states become even more Republican and the
South even more Democratic.
• Regions become one-party states.
• Factions within parties emerge since there’s no competition
between the major parties in states.
– Republicans have the “Stalwarts” versus the mugwumps or
progressives.
• Progressives push to decrease the power of nominating
conventions by creating primaries.
Fifth Party System (1932-present?)
• Democrats v. Republicans
– Democratic coalition
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•
•
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Blacks
Southern whites
Urbanites
Industrial workers
Jews and Catholics
Thomas Nast
Democratic
donkey
Andrew Jackson
Republican Elephant
What’s the pattern?
1. A major party is defeated so badly that a
new party emerges to take its place.
2. The two existing parties continue but voters
shift their support from one party to the
other.
New Party (1800)
New Party (1828)
New Party (1860)
Shifting Voter Preferences (1896)
Shifting Voter Preferences (1932)