POLI-D-537 Parties and Government in the U.S. 5 ects Emilie van Haute Week 3.

POLI-D-537Parties and Government in the U.S.

5 ects

Emilie van Haute

Week 3

Part IParties and Politics in the U.S.

Outline

I.1. Party ErasI.2. Party SystemI.3. Party OrganizationI.4. Party Ideology, Issues and Polarization

3. Party Eras

1. The First Party System (1800-1824): Federalists vs. Jeffersonian Republicans

2. The Second Party System (1828-1856): Whigs vs. Jacksonian Democrats3. The Third Party System (1856-1896): Ascendant Republicans vs.

Democrats4. The Fourth Party System (1896-1928): Republican Dominance Renewed5. The Fifth Party System (1932-1968): The Democratic New Deal Era6. The Sixth Party System (1968-2008): The Era of Dealignment and Divided

government

3.1. First Party System (1800-1824) Federalists vs. Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans (1)

• Disappearance of the Federalists as a national political party (uncompetitive)

• One-party dominance (Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans)= “Era of Good Feelings”- At the end of Jefferson’s terms: no competition (Monroe unopposed for reelection in 1820)- Roots of parties did not run deep (no party identification, filiations, loyalty)- Growth of dominance // Weakening of the party discipline- Factionalism among leaders of the Republicans- Decline of the authority & legitimacy of the national government- Washington DC = desolate place (8.000 inhabitants in 1800 - burned down by the British/Canadian troops in 1814 as a vengeance for the destruction of Toronto)- Growth of regional rivalries: West vs. East (financial dominance); South vs. North (opposition to slavery)


• 1824: presidential election (congressional caucus system of nomination)- Andrew Jackson: 99 electoral votes; John Quincy Adams: 88; William Crawford: 41; Henry Clay: 34 (262 votes)- No candidate with a majority of the electoral votes- House of Representatives has to choose between the top 3 and chose Adams (Clay got appointed secretary of State)

Constitutional crisis: most popular candidate did not win / suspicion of bribery / caucus seen as undemocratic as suffrage expanded

• Jackson (military hero) gathers popular discontent (South, West) • Van Buren (NY): wants to reduce the risk & control Jackson by

reinvigorating the Jeffersonian party (NY-Virginia alliance), give Jackson leadership against promise to accept party discipline

3.2. Second Party System (1828-1856)(Jacksonian) Democrats vs. Whigs (1)

• Transitional era (1828-1832)- 1828: Jackson defeated Adams- 1832: Jackson defeated Clay- Transitional era of bifactional politics within the Democratic-Republican Party: Jackson & Adams used the Republican name in their label

• Democratization of American political life- Qualifications for voting dropped (expansion of suffrage)- Slates of presidential electors were popularly elected- Increase of electoral participation- Opening of nominating procedures (congressional caucus replaced by national convention)

Need for organization, management, communication From then on: real two-party competition


• From then on: real two-party competition (Democrats & Whigs)- 1830s: emergence of parties as we know them- Birth of the Democratic party: National Party Convention in 1832- 1832: Jackson switched to Democratic label >< Clay as Republican- 1834: opposition to Jackson formed a party: the Whigs

- Fight for the new electorate- Development of campaigning (parades, rallies, picnics, symbols, etc.)- Development of party organization at the state & local levels- Development of party identification


• Democrats (Dominant party – first half of the period)- First to make a positive case for parties: parties seen as vehicles for common citizens to enact political views & control government if well organized- Parties seen as the only actor capable of taming presidential ambition (Van Buren: wanted to build a real party system >< one party-rule he experienced: need opposition, threat of defeat to keep discipline & cohesion)- Democratized version of Jefferson’s view of limited government: small government, low taxes, and individual freedom, decentralization & democratization of political & economic power; against government intervention because it would favor the wealthy > the common man- Won 5 presidential elections out of 7 between 1828 and 1856 (Andrew Jackson 1828-1836; Martin Van Buren 1836-1840; James Polk 1844-1848; Franklin Pierce 1852-1856)


• Whigs = Minority party- Coalition of Henry Clay, Webster (Connecticut & Massachussets), Weed & Seward ‘NY) Stevens (Pennsylvania) to oppose Jackson- Name: identification with the English party- Renewed Federalist agenda: defend industrial interests & wealth, a more active role for the national government (building roads, canals to benefit interstate commerce), to raise the tariff on imported products, to establish a national banking & financing system, but to diminish the power of the president- Tried to match the Democrats’ organization & electoral techniques- Run military heroes for presidents (4 elections out of 7) but only successful twice (1840: William Henry Harrison; 1848: Zachary Taylor) – constant feature of us politics (Grant, Eisenhower, etc.)- In 9 out of 11 congressional elections: no control on Congress- Won 20 governorships by 1840


• Real competition in each region / few regional variations from 1840 to CW- Whigs: more support from manufacture & trade, planters, Protestants, wealth- Democrats: new voters, western farmers, Catholics & new immigrants, ‘common people’

BUT- Both parties: true national scope- Old bastions of Jefferson’s support (North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana): divided evenly between parties; Middle Atlantic states: idem- Both parties try to balance the interests of all sections of the electorate- Few really divisive issues until the 1850s (racial & slavery issues)- Both liberal (free enterprise & private property) - Both democratic (basic principles of the Constitution & Declaration of Independence)- None of the parties truly ideologically coherent; more based on a common hatred of the enemy than on positive attachment to an issue


• Decentralization- Electoral votes allocated state by state => party organization built at the state level for the presidential election- In order to get the support of the party, the presidential candidate has to reward the state party branches- State parties are dependent on local leaders & local organization=> localities could make powerful demands on higher levels, especially because of the close match between the two parties => the entertainment (rallies, picnics, etc.) happens at the local level=> local parties as link between the wider world of politics and the individuals in a large democracy (unthreatening, stimulus for citizenship)


• Parties and slavery- Fundamental dispute since the independence- 1820: Missouri compromise in Congress on regulation of slavery in the Western territories (balance)- Both parties: pro- and antislavery factions because they both wanted to survive as national parties- Mid-1840s: Pressure to admit new states and difficulties to maintain the balance between the pro- and antislavery forces- Growing cultural, moral & economic differences between North & South in the 1840 & 1850 => political conflicts, increasing with the expansion of the country (new free or slave states)


• Democrats and slavery: Regional loyalty outweigh party loyalty:- In Congress: Democrats dominated by southerners- In national convention: South also strong thanks to veto possibility: ex: 1844: Van Buren (opposed to the expansion of slavery) as front-runner for the presidential nomination but the South opposed it because he didn’t support the annexation of Texas. Van Buren didn’t have 2/3 of the delegates at the convention and couldn’t convince his supporters to change the rule of the nomination (9 ballots) => James Polk won the nomination and got elected, thanks to the discipline of the southern state delegatessame for 1852 (Franklin Pierce) & 1856 (James Buchanan): weak candidates- Focused on protecting slavery > defend their democratic & egalitarian principles

• Whigs and slavery: slavery has lead the party to dissolve- Traditionally: national integration, accommodation North/South=> position undermined in both regions, schism between wings- Emergence of a Republican party in the North => loss electoral support in 1854 => dissolution

3.3. Third Party System (1856-1896) Ascendant Republicans vs. Democrats (1)

• Transition period (1854-1856)- Democrats (Buchanan) vs. new Republican Party (Fremont) vs. Whigs (Fillmore): No majority of the popular vote

• 1860: Deterioration- South: Democrats (Breckenridge) vs. Bell (Whig)- North: Republicans (Lincoln) vs. Democrats (Douglas):- Douglas tried to avoid the debate on slavery within his party- Lincoln committed his party to the principle of no territorial expansion for slavery= realignment: Republican majority in most parts of the country except the South; destruction of the Whigs

• Civil War (1861-1865) – Lincoln elected first Republican President (second highest turnout: 82% of the electorate)+ control Congress, governorship of every northern state


CW-1874: dominance of the Republicans• Republicans (GOP)

- Composed of former Whigs (Lincoln), antislavery Democrats, & abolitionists - Dedicated to the principle of ending slavery- Big campaign & debates, and carried on with discussions at the state & local levels through party channels- Identified with the Union, patriotism, humanitarianism- Alliance with interest groups: farmers (Homestead Act and free land in the West), business & labor (high protective tariff), entrepreneurs (big federal grants), and veterans (pensions)- Dominant in the North & West; little support in the South- Control of presidency (Lincoln, Johnson, Grant) & Congress from 1860 to 1874

• Democrats- Southern-based party; support in the North from business (free-trade), new Catholic immigrants


1974-1896: competition (Alternated control of Presidency & Congress)• Republicans

- Unable to integrate freed slaves into the economic & political life- Southern states negate the Fifteenth amendment (vote for former slaves) and Republicans unable to stop it- Loyalty based on the Civil War (veterans); assassination of Lincoln (1865); support of Northern Protestants (anti-gambling, anti-alcohol); pro-business (// Federalists & Whigs)- No support in the South; Northern African Americans + Northern WASPs- Control the Senate + 3/5 presidency (Hayes, Arthur, Harrison)

• Democrats- Weak in Midwest / New England; South + Northern Catholic bastions- Control the House + 2/5 presidency (Cleveland)- Party of the former Confederate States; agriculture; anti-tariff stand; support of the Catholics (Northern cities)

• Configuration stable for the next 100 years


• Main features of the period- Growth of patronage-based party organizations (Middle Atlantic & Midwestern states): organize services for communities (build railroads, create jobs) // industrialization (immigration, rise of corporations)= Republican feature (in Pennsylvania: 20.000 Republican paid workers)=> weakens loyalty and discipline- Introduction of the Australian ballot / Massachusetts ballot= secret ballot > party-printed ballot: ↑ voter independence from parties

• Emergence of the People’s Party (Populists)- Emergence in the economically depressed grain-growing areas of the Midwest- Want laws to protect farmers, defend more equality, income tax, nationalization of railroads & telephone/telegraph companies= More liberal & progressive than de Ds & the Rs (conservative)- Growth of support by the mid-1880s (elected representatives in Midwest states & Southern farmers); 1892: over 1 million votes

3.4. Fourth Party System (1896-1928) Republican Dominance Renewed (1)

• Economic & Social Revolution- Industrialization > agrarian society- Urbanization (NY, Chicago, Philadelphia, LA > 1.000.000 by 1920s)- Development of transportation (railroads: 8.500 miles in 1850 to 193.000 in 1900)- Rise of corporation (Standard Oil, US steel)- New immigration- Rise of labor organizations

• Rise of third parties- Radical agrarian movements (Grangers Farmers’ Alliance; Greenbackers)- People’s Party in 1896; Progressives in 1912


• Transition: Presidential election of 1896- Democrats divided between Cleveland (limited government) & William Jennings Bryan (populist ideas): Bryan appealed to farmers & western interests => South, Plains, West (major turn from limited government)- Republicans (McKinley) opposed inflation, favored stability, high tariffs (money & protectionism) & renewed the support of business interests, but also urban workers & shopkeepers => all North & cities- High turnout (82%)- Democrats lost => took years to recover (won 2 presidency in 36 years)

1896-1912: Dominance of the Republicans• Republicans

- Won 4 presidencies in a row (McKinley, T. Roosevelt – 2, Taft)- Control of Congress until 1910

• Democrats- Nothing until Wilson during WWI


1912-1928: More competition• Republicans

- Internal divisions: traditional conservatives of the industrial-finance centers of the Northeast >< Progressive reformers of the Middle West- 1912: T. Roosevelt run for the Progressive Party vs. Taft for the Republicans=> split of the Republican votes => favored the Democrats (Wilson)- After WWI: Progressive movement out => Renewed dominance:- Won 4 presidencies in a row (Harding, Coolidge – 2, Hoover)

• Democrats- WWI: took advantage of the Republican divisions & won 2 presidency (Wilson – 2)- After WWI: Recovery mode: popular vote jumped from 28.8% in 1924 to 40.8% in 1928- Development of support in Catholic, urban & industrial centers


Main features of the period• Republican dominance: average share of votes = 57.7% vs. 42.3% for the Ds

- Gap between the 2 parties > 10% in 4 elections out of 7- Same lack of competition for states elections: South = D; rest = R

• Women suffrage in 1920 (19th amendment)• Progressive revolts between 1900 & 1920:

- Believed in the rational citizen; opposed party loyalties and irrational ties- Favored political regulation & party-weakening reforms- Support from T. Roosevelt (1912)- Want to cut away patronage; promoted a civil service reform- Support non-partisan local elections- Support the introduction of direct primaries for nominating candidates (1903 Wisconsin; 26 states adopted it by 1916)- Role of citizen enhanced by adoption of initiative, referendum- Regulation of parties

BUT decrease in electoral participation

3.5. Fifth Party System (1932-1968)The Democratic New Deal Era (1)

• Great Depression of 1929- GNP fell by 1/3; unemployment grew from 5% to 25%

• Demographic change- Urban ethnics, Catholics, blue-collar workers & blacks = more significant- WASP, small town, middle-class business = shrinking

• Transition: the election of 1932- Realignment from a Republican to a Democratic majority- Democrats:New Deal Coalition (F.D. Roosevelt): white southerners, Catholic urban workers (recent immigrants anti-prohibition), blue-collar workers (organized labor), African Americans (rising unemployment), Jews (Depression & Roosevelt’s leadership against Nazi Germany), young votersSupport welfare policies, social security & unemployment compensations systems (weakened party patronage); federal government as THE employerRegulate the economy: Securities & Exchange Commission (1935), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (1935), Banking Act (1935)


1932-1948: Dominance of the Democrats• Democrats

- Won 5/5 presidency (F.D. Roosevelt, Truman)- Continuous control over Congress (except 1946)- Internal divisions in the late 1930s: North / South (dissent from social welfare policies)

• Republicans– Minority party – called dead several times but resilient


1948-1968: More competition• Democrats

- Lost control Presidency (1952-1956) & Congress in 1952- 1960-1964: normal majority reasserted (Kennedy & Johnson)- Huge congressional majorities => Johnson’s Great Society program- After 1964: intensification of internal divisions over the Vietnam War, defense policy, crime, civil disorder & social policy

• Republicans– Minority party – called dead several times but resilient– 1952: won Congress & Presidency (national hero tactic with

Eisenhower): “I like Ike”, “Peace & Prosperity”: support in the South; accepted New Deal programs=> New Deal legacy no more divisive

POLI-D-537 Parties and Government in the U.S. 5 ects Emilie van Haute Week 3.

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Transcript of POLI-D-537 Parties and Government in the U.S. 5 ects Emilie van Haute Week 3.