Political Parties

• Before parties could become legitimate, people had to separate in their minds fights over policies and elections from fights over the legitimacy of the government itself.

You are a danger to the U.S. Constitution! Your mom.

Anti-monarchy Anti-anarchy

First Party System (1790-1820)

• Democratic Republicans v. Federalists• Congressional Caucus chose candidates for president and

vice president.• Electoral college: diminishes the power of the large states

and most people were ignorant about who the candidates were.

• Each state selected electors however they wished (usually state legilatures).

• Parties were regional. Farmers in Virginia were Republicans but farmers in Massachusetts were Federalists.

• Political participation very limited.

Second Party System (1824-1854)• Democrats v. Whigs• Republicans dominated elections so much that Federalists ceased to exist as a political

party.• Political participation is greatly expanded (laws make voting requirements less strict,

increasing population, and westward expansion).– 1824= 365,000 votes– 1828= 1 million votes– 1840 = 2 million votes

• Electors selected by popular vote in nearly every state.• Caucus system replaced with party convention (most popular candidate in Congress

finishes third in the election of 1824 but the most popular candidate among the people isn’t chosen for president in the House). Spoils System is born!– Anti-Masonic party has first party convention.– Anti-Jackson Republicans (National Republicans) nominate Henry Clay– Democrats hold their first convention in 1832, reelecting Jackson. 1836 with Martin Van Buren

• Anti-Jackson Republicans eventually call themselves whigs. • Jacksonian Republicans (Jacksonians) eventurally call themselves democrats.

Third Party System (1854-1896)• Republicans v. Democrats• Sectionalism and the issue of slavery divides the Whigs and

Democrats• Republican party is the only third party to become a major party.• Those who supported the Union became Republicans• Those who supported the Confederacy became Democrats.• Whigs joined one party or the other (Democrats and Whigs kept

the country united until the issue of slavery couldn’t be contained).

• Republicans dominate the presidency and the Senate. Democrats control the House because there were a lot of Northern Democrats.

Fourth Party System (1896-1932)• Democrats v. Republicans• William Jennings Bryan splits the Democratic Party. He alienated

northeastern democrats and courted voters in the South and Midwest.

• Northern states become even more Republican and the South even more Democratic.

• Regions become one-party states.• Factions within parties emerge since there’s no competition

between the major parties in states.– Republicans have the “Stalwarts” versus the mugwumps or progressives.

• Progressives push to decrease the power of nominating conventions by creating primaries.

Fifth Party System (1932-present?)

• Democrats v. Republicans– Democratic coalition• Blacks• Southern whites• Urbanites• Industrial workers• Jews and Catholics

Thomas Nast

Democratic donkey

Andrew Jackson

Republican Elephant

What’s the pattern?

1. A major party is defeated so badly that a new party emerges to take its place.

2. The two existing parties continue but voters shift their support from one party to the other.

New Party (1800)

New Party (1828)

New Party (1860)

Shifting Voter Preferences (1896)

Shifting Voter Preferences (1932)