3.1 Political PartiesMajor Eras
Students will display work very
differently. A Power point
presentation is just one example.
Major Eras Of Political Parties
Federalists and Democratic-Republican
(1789-1828)
Hamilton
Jefferson
Federalist party emerged from those supporting
Hamilton's policies (formation of a national bank, use
of federal funds to repay states' war debts) and
Democratic-Republicans emerged from those
supporting Thomas Jefferson's (a more limited federal
governmental role).
In the elections of 1800 the Federalists were defeated,
then allowing the alternation of parties in political
power.
Due to the overpowering success of DemocraticRepublicans' such as Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe
the Federalists ceased to exist by 1820.
Jacksonian Democrats and Whigs
(1828-1860)
Adams
Jackson
By the 1920's, the Democratic-Republicans had broken
and split apart.
The Jacksonian Democrats appealed to the "common
man" and successfully urged states to lower property
requirements for voting and choose electors by popular
vote instead of by the state legislatures.
The House unsuccessfully tried to pass over Andrew
Jackson, the candidate with the most votes, to pick
John Quincy Adams.
Andrew Jackson’s opponents during the 1828 election
formed the Whig Party.
Era of Republican Dominance
(1860-1932)
During the Presidency of Lincoln, the slavery issue split
the Democratic Party into Northern Democrats and
Southern Democrats and led to the founding of the
Republican Party in 1854.
After the war, the Republican Party won every election
until 1932 with two exceptions.
After Roosevelt split the Republican party, it wasn’t
until the 1920’s that they were able to get the White
House back.
For the majority of this period the Democrats were a
minority party, taking part in both Southern and
Northern interest by opposing Republicans and
consenting to policies of high tariffs to protect
manufacturers and tight money in the form of a gold
standard to protect bankers.
The New Deal Democratic Party
(1932-1968)
Roosevelt
The in 1929, the Great Depression brought Republican
pro-business policies into disrepute and, together with
WWII, led to the unprecedented four consecutive terms
in office of Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt
FDR created the New Deal, which instituted Social
Security and other "social safety net" programs for the
poor, unemployed, Catholics, Jews, African-Americans,
and other ethnic groups.
During this time, the hard-hit Southern Democrats,
also known as Dixiecrats, did not start splitting from
the Democratic Party until the party's 1948 platform
called for an end to segregation.
The New Republican Majority
(1968-1980)
The combination of the "solid South" into the
Republican camp in presidential elections, a popular
reaction against "big government" welfare and other
programs in Johnson's Great Society, and a general
conservative stand in opinion after Vietnam and the
social turmoil of the 1960's, created a new Republican
majority capable of defeating the New Deal coalition.
The Democratic Convention's 1968 reforms, opened
party processes more to women and minorities, and led
to a 1972 convention dominated by liberals who later
nominated George McGovern.
With an obvious public opinion against the liberal
causes of the 1960s,with which the Democratic Party
had become closely associated, Richard Nixon defeated
McGovern
The Reagan Coalition
(1980-1992)
Reagan
Ronald Reagan established the new Republican
coalition of traditional business and professional
supporters opposition to high taxes and "big
government,"
He was able to hold this diverse coalition together but
was not able to lead the Republican Party to control of
Congress.
At the same time the Democratic Party began to force
liberal stands onto the Democratic party platform and
be seen as a party of special interests, beholden to
organized labor, civil rights organizations, feminists,
and environmentalists
Clinton and the "New" Democrats
(1992-2000)
Clinton
By the 1990s, the Republican coalition was began to
experience problems with the undermining of the
anticommunist appeal, reaction against religious
fundamentalism, and splits between economic
conservatives and social conservatives.
Bill Clinton to embrace a "new" platform and led the
Democrats who’s strategy was to downplay social
justice and social welfare issues and to return to an
emphasis on policies for restoring economic prosperity.
Environmentalists, feminists, civil rights activists, and
other Democratic liberals, recognized the end of the
1980's and unanimously accepted the Clinton strategy.