Party Eras in American History I

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Party Eras in American History I

• American Political Parties
• Prof. Wolbrecht
• March 2009

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First Party System (1796/1801-1828)

• Federalists
• Advocated strong central government
• Openly advocated elite rule
• Fear mob rule and susceptibility of the masses
• Democratic-Republicans
• Preferred states rights over federal power
• Sympathetic to common man, esp. farmers
• Limits e.g., limiting voting to literate
• Favored rural over urban

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1800 T. Jefferson (D-R) v. J. Adams (F)

• CRITICAL ELECTION
• Jefferson-Burr ticket opposes Adams
• Original Constitution
• 12th Amendment (1804) separated EC votes for
  president and vice president
• By 4th presidential election, parties so
  important as to require constitutional change

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1804-1820 Era of Good Feelings

• Democrats dominate
• Federalist fade into a small regional party
• Too elitist, lacked grassroots
• As suffrage extended, unable to change
• Lost the battle, won the war growth of federal
  government

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Second Party System (1828-1854)

• Party in government
• Party organization
• Party in the electorate
• Cleavages
• Alignments
• Democrats less privileged, populists, western
  farmers, immigrants
• Whigs upper classes, eastern business,
  prohibitionists

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1828 A. Jackson (D) v. JQ Adams (Natl
Republican)

• CRITICAL ELECTION
• Jackson War Hero
• First party turnover since 1800

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More Democratic than Whig victories

• 1832 Jackson (D) defeats Clay (Natl Rep)
• 1836 Martin Van Buren (D) defeats several
  Whigs, incl. Wm. H. Harrison and D. Webster
• 1840 WH Harrison (W) beats Van Buren (D)
• 1844 James Polk (D) beats Clay (W)
• 1848 Zackary Taylor (W) beats L. Cass (D) and
  Van Buren (Free Soil)
• 1852 Franklin Pierce (D) defeats Winfred Scott
  (W) and John P. Hale (Free Soil)

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1854 Republican Party founded

• Coalition of Whigs, Free Soilers, others
• Growth of third parties indicates major parties
  failing to address important issue

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Third Party System (1856/1860 1892)

• Party in government
• Party organization GOLDEN AGE
• Party in the electorate
• Intense partisanship
• Cleavage sectional (North v. South)
• Alignments
• Democrats Southern whites, some Northern city
  machines
• Republicans everybody else

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1860 Lincoln (R) v. S. Douglas (D), J.C.
Breckinridge (SD), John Bell (Con Union)

• CRITICAL ELECTION
• Democrats
• Constitutional Union Party
• Republicans

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1864-1892 Republican majority

• 1864 Lincoln (R) defeats Geo. McClellan (D)
• 1868 Grant (R) defeats Seymour (D)
• 1872 Grant (R) defeats Horace Greeley
• 1876 Hayes (R) defeats Tilden (D)
• 1880 Garfield (R) defeats Hancock (D), etc
• 1884 Cleveland (D) defeats Blaine (R), etc
• 1888 Harrison (R) defeats Cleveland (D) etc
• 1892 Cleveland (D) defeats Harrison (R), other
  minor parties

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Fourth Party System (1896-1928)

• Party in government
• Party organization
• Party in the electorate
• Issues
• Alignments
• Democrats Western, rural, Southern whites
• Republicans Eastern, urban, economic powers

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Bryans Cross of Gold Speech

• Having behind us the producing masses of this
  nation and the world, supported by the commercial
  interests, the laboring interests and the toilers
  everywhere, we will answer their demand for a
  gold standard by saying to them You shall not
  press down upon the brow of labor this crown of
  thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a
  cross of gold.

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1896 Wm. McKinley (R) v. Wm. Jennings Bryan (D)

• CRITICAL ELECTION
• McKinley the creation of Mark Hanna
• Bryans populist, pro-silver campaign viewed as
  radical and disruptive
• McKinley victory the triumph of
• Bryan last candidate to try to win with (only)
  the agrarian vote
• GOP controls WH all but 8 of next 36 years
• Reaction Rise of Progressive reform movt

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1900-1924 Republican majority

• 1900 McKinley (R) v. WJBryan (D)
• 1904 TR (R) v. Alton Parker (D), etc.
• 1908 Wm. J. Taft (R) v. WJBryan (D), etc.
• 1912 Wilson (D) v. Taft (R), TR (Progressive)
• 1916 Wilson (D) v. Charles Hughes (R), etc.
• 1920 Warren Harding (R) v. James Cox (D), Debs
  (Socialist), others
• 1924 Calvin Coolidge (R) v. John W. Davis (D),
  Robert LaFollette (Progressive)