Political Parties and Political Behavior Parties, Voters, and Political Trends.
Political Parties In the US 1787-1861. Today? What political parties currently exist in the US? When...
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Transcript of Political Parties In the US 1787-1861. Today? What political parties currently exist in the US? When...
Political Parties In the US
1787-1861
Today?
• What political parties currently exist in the US?
• When were they created?
• What are their positions? Philosophies?
The Beginning
• 1787 – Constitution of the United States– No political parties – not mentioned
• Caused some confusion
– George Washington president – did not belong to a party
• President – most electoral college votes
• Vice President- Second most votes
First Political Parties 1790’s
• Split between
• Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson
• Both in Washington’s Cabinet,
• Each had different ideas of government and the future path for America
1790’s development of political parties– Problem – conflicting ideas– Election of 1796 – Adams elected President and
Jefferson came in second becoming the Vice President
• Election of 1800 – Jefferson and Burr tied for President
12th Amendment 1804
• President and Vice President chosen separately– Would avoid ties and allow President and Vice-
President to be from the same political party• ( Remember electoral college members were given
2 votes each)
• Later on in the 19th century electoral college votes were based on popular vote of each state – so now the Vice President would be automatically elected with the president
• Yes American Politics is confusing!
• Federalist Party- Hamilton/ Adams– Focus on industry, merchants, business, urban
growth– Did not want too much western expansion– For increase in Federal government powers– Wanted Britain as a trading partners and ally
• Republican Party – Jefferson/ Madison– Less powers for the Federal Gov– Agrarian/rural focus– Western expansion– State government powers– Alliance with France
War of 1812
• End of the Federalist Party– Why?
• Weakened due to split between Adams and Hamilton
• Expansion West
• Did not support war – ( war became popular and seen as crucial to American Pride)
• Only 1 party now –Republican
• But split in the 1924 election – a 4 way tie
• Andrew Jackson – Democrats-Republicans– ( upset that he lost the election)
• John Quincy Adams – National Republicans– Elected president
Further Split in the 1830’s
• Democratic Party - Jackson
• Whig Party – named after a party in England to limit the King’s power
Democratic Party
• Andrew Jackson– Increased presidential power– Anti-national bank– Low taxes– Against big government and spending– Distrusted merchants and business leaders
Whig Party
• Henry Clay– Create a lager federal gov– Congressional Power– Modernization – industry, commercial
development– Centralized economy– Slavery?
Demise of the Whig Party
• Split over Slavery - Compromise of 1850
• Death of key leaders, Henry Clay and Daniel Webster
• Gone by the early 1850’s
Free Soil Party
• 1848
• Opposition to extension of slavery in the western territories
• Short lived party most joined the Republicans an 1854
American Party
• Also called the Know-Nothing Party
• Opposed slavery but also opposed immigration and Roman Catholics
1854 - Republicans
• Republican Party - an extension of Whig policies
• After the passage of the Kansas- Nebraska Act in 1854
• Opposed the extension of slavery– Combined Northern Whigs, Free Soil, Know
Nothing and northern Democrat
Kansas Nebraska Act 1854
• Popular Sovereignty – a vote on whether Slavery should exist
• Repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 • Started a war in the region “Bleeding Kansas”
– Pro-slave settlers and Anti-slave settlers moved into the region and fought a Civil War
• Kansas had 2 governments during this time
Election of 1860?
• Republican – Abraham Lincoln
• Northern Democrat – Stephan Douglas
• Southern Democrat – John Breckenridge
• Constitutional Union -John Bell
1861
• Civil War
• Slavery was the Key Issue