The major parties since early 1830s in the United States of America were the Democratic Party, organized by Andrew Jackson, and the Whig Party, assembled by Henry Clay from the National Republicans and in opposition to Andrew Jackson.
There were no sectional differences between the Democratic Party and the Whig Party, but there were some cultural differences. Whig party operated from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s. The Whigs approved the authority and the power of the Congress over the presidency, favored a program of economic protectionism and modernization; they also supported active social reform. According to the Johnson County Community College’s historians, the name "Whig," which Revolutionary patriots also used to signify their opposition to King George III, was chosen to echo the American Whigs of 1776 and meant to convey; and throughout their twenty-year history, fought for independence, and because "Whig" was then a widely recognized label of choice for people who saw themselves as opposing tyranny. According to professor Michael F. Holt , the Whig party combined Anti-masons and National Republicans as well as two different groups of southern anti-Jackson people who had supported Henry Clay and his policy in 1832 because they considered National Republicans' nationalistic economic program as an unconstitutional illegality of states' rights. The issue that united anti-Jackson men in the Whig party in 1834 was their common displeasure at Jackson's executive order of September 1833 removing federal deposits from the Bank of the United States. They believed in the strong government and interference in the national economy. That’s why Whigs defended Henry Clay’s vision of the American system, which involved existence o...
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...time of two political parties with different points of views on almost all aspects of American life, except one – American people should have a good life. The Democratic party was a party of tradition and looked backward to the past, when the Whigs party had the idea of modernization and looked forward to the future.
Works Cited
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Enciclopedia of Alabama. Whig Party. January 21, 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2010
Faragher, John Mack, et al., eds. Out Of Many: A History of the American People. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2006.
Holt. Michael F. Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project. “The Whig Party” 2002. Web. 10 Dec. 2010
Johnson County Community College. “Second Party System”. Web 10 Dec. 2010
...d. The Whig and Democratic parties developed as national parties, they advocated throughout the nation, regardless of the regional and sessional differences between the supporters. Due to the economic changes, it affected many of the territories in the United States. For example, the North and the Great Lakes economy, and the East-West economy was growing as well, which strengthened relations with Border States and the North. Unlike the North, the South struggled the workers and the poverty-stricken farmers felt excluded from the new exchanges that were being made by the Democrats. Both Parties battled each other over economical issues, both of the parties had supporters throughout the entire country and stayed devoted to the idea of a unified nation. Since the parties shared interest leaders from the North and South to work together and work through sectional issues.
During the early 1800s, two parties were developed having different perspectives on government and the Constitution. The Democratic Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, were always characterized by following the strict construction of the constitution. The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, were characterized by following the broad construction of the constitution. The presidencies of Jefferson and Madison proved this characterization to be somewhat accurate. Although the Democratic Republicans and the Federalists did support their own ideas and views, they also did many things that contradicted them.
Morrison, Samuel E. The Oxford History of the American People, vol. 1. New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc., 1994. Sun Tzu.
... American politics due to rivalries having opposite views and ideas. The Antifederalists and Federalists opinions differed because of each party’s social background originated from different parts of the country. The north agreed with Hamilton’s plans including a national bank to solve the country’s debt problems, but the south rejected the idea. The Federalists supported the idea of a strong central government, while the Antifederalists were more in favor of the local government holding more power. Main differences between the Antifederalists and Federalists led to the rise of political parties. The Whiskey Rebellion was a major event that caused more conflict between the Antifederalists and Federalists. However, political parties of the modern world have greatly evolved since this time and today are sophisticated groups that better serve to represent the citizens.
The election of Andrew Jackson in 1828 brought a new wave of political ideas, especially since he created the Democratic party and their symbol. Jacksonian Democrats saw themselves as guardians of the Constitution, political democracy and individual liberty (aka social freedoms). I believe that this was not the case for the decisions made in Jackson’s presidency, and he was more of a “King Andrew” than a man of the common people.
The Jacksonian Democrats and Whigs were predominantly opposing forces in the 1830-1840’s; however, one can see instances where they worked together in certain Political and Economic issues. Economically, the Jacksonian Democrats were against the National Bank and Protective Tariff, while the Whigs supported it, and politically, the Jacksonian Democrats were more liberal, calling for the rapid expansion and growth of the country and slavery while the Whigs were more conservative on the issues of Manifest Destiny and slavery. Jacksonian Democrats were essentially greatly Anti-Federalist, supporting law and actions that reduce the amount of power of the federal government, while the Whigs were mainly federalists who supported the federal government and sought to make it stronger through their various economic and political policies.
The Jeffersonian-Republicans (also known as the Democratic-Republicans) were opposed to the Federalists from before 1801-1817. Leaders Thomas Jefferson and James Madison created the party in order to oppose the economic and foreign policies of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist Party. The Democratic-Republicans supported the French, whereas the Federalists supported the British. Each party had its set of views. The Federalists supported a loose interpretation of the Constitution, a strong central government, high tariffs, a navy, military spending, a national debt, and a national bank (all ideas of the Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton). The Democratic-Republicans opposed all of the said ideas and fought for states' rights and the citizens to govern the nation. Originally, each of these parties stuck to their own views and ideas, but eventually would accept eachother's views and use them as their own.
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.
The first political parties in America began to form at the end of the 18th century. "The conflict that took shape in the 1790s between the Federalists and the Antifederalists exercised a profound impact on American history." The two primary influences, Thomas Jefferson a...
Although Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton did not necessarily get along and the citizens of the United States were splitting to support the different leaders, it did not cause the emergence of the parties. The social tensions and differences, rather than a cause, was more of an effect. Jefferson and Hamilton’s disagreements on the subjects of economics, politics, and foreign affairs were major divisions, leaving social tensions in the aftermath. The emergence of political parties during the 1790s in the United States can be compared to the emergence of the Whigs and Tories in England during the 1700s and 1800s. Both pairs of opposing political parties emerged over disagreements. Whigs, like the Democratic-Republicans, supported the rights and power of the people. Tories, like the Federalists, supported a strong monarchy/government (UK
As the young colonies of America broke away from their mother country and began to grow and develop into an effective democratic nation, many changes occurred. As the democracy began to grow, two main political parties developed, the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists. Each party had different views on how the government should be run. The Jeffersonian Republicans believed in strong state governments, a weak central government, and a strict construction of the Constitution. The Federalists opted for a powerful central government with weaker state governments, and a loose interpretation of the Constitution. Throughout the years, the political parties have grown, developed, and even dispersed into totally new factions. Many of the inconsistencies and changes can be noted throughout the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
In the 1790s, soon after the ratification of the Constitution, political parties were nonexistent in the USA because President Washington feared they would drive the country apart. However, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, with their rivalling mental models, could not help but spark the division of the United States into the Democratic-Republican and Federalist parties. These parties, the Democratic-Republican wanting a small, local government system and the Federalist wanting a strong, powerful government system, turned citizens against one another and eventually led to the inimical Democratic and Republican parties of today. Hence, the formation of the original political parties in the United States is very significant. Political
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Finkelman, Paul, ed. and Donald R. Kennon, ed. Congress and the Crisis of the 1850s. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2012. eBook (tamusaworldcat). Web. 7 Apr. 2014.