History of Political Parties: 1789 – 1912
AP U.S. History
EARLY REPUBLIC
1789 – 1792 – No Parties
JEFFERSONIAN ERA
1796 – 1816 – Democratic Republicans and Federalists
- Federalists stand for strong central government and loose interpretation of constitution, DemRep. stand for states rights and strict interpretation
- starts with J. Adams defeating Jefferson
- Revolution of 1800 – Democratic Republicans win for first time with Jefferson, represents first
big shift in power
ERA OF GOOD FEELINGS
1820-1824 –Democratic Republicans
JACKSONIAN ERA
1828-1832 – Democrats and National Republicans
- Jackson begins the Democratic Party (but how much did Jackson really stand for the common
man and democracy?)
1836 – Democrats and Whigs
- Whigs historically stood against the King in England, Whig party formed in America in
opposition to “King Jackson”
ANTEBELLUM ERA
1840-1844 – Democrats, Whigs, and Liberty
- Liberty party was anti-slavery (basically free-soil) but not abolitionists.
1848 – 1852 – Democrats, Whigs, and Free-soil
- Free-soil was not abolitionists, but instead was against the spread of slavery
1856 – Democratic, Republican, American
- The American party were nativists (against immigration), also known as the “Know Nothings”
CIVIL WAR
1860 – Republican and Democrat
- This is the Republican Party we know today started with Lincoln.
Things stay pretty much Dem. vs Rep. for awhile…
PROGRESSIVE ERA
1892 – 1900 – Democratic, Republican, and Populist
- Populists supported the interest of farmers and laborers (mainly farmers)
- Important to note that the populist party merged with the Democrats (Democratic Peoples
Party or Democratic-Populist) in 1896 and 1900 with William Jennings Bryan as their candidate
1904 – 1908 – Democratic, Republican, and Socialist
- Socialist candidate (Eugene V. Debs) represented socialist movement – government control of
business in order to promote equal distribution of wealth
1912 – Democratic, Republican, Socialist, and Progressive
- Progressive party started with Theodore Roosevelt – he returns from safari in Africa
disgruntled by Taft’s conservative presidency, after losing the Republican nomination to Taft,
he forms his own Progressive Party (also known as the Bull-Moose Party)
NEW DEAL
1932 – 1940 – Democratic and Republican party SHIFT
- It is during this era that the Democratic party evolves into the party we know it as today. Under
F.D.R’s administration the Democratic party begins to stand for government regulation of the
economy.
- The Republicans in contrast supported smaller government and laissez-faire economics (just
compare how Hoover and FDR each addressed the Depression…)
- Also during this era, African Americans begin to shift their support from the Republican Party
(the party of Abraham Lincoln) to the Democratic Party.