MZ

AP US History - The American Parties

1792-1824 (First Party System)

Main problem: Should the federal government have power over the state governments?

1) Federalists

  • More centralized and powerful federal government

  • Continue relationships with Great Britain

  • Regulated and centralized banking system (consolidate debt)

  • Relationship between the elites of society with government

  • Loose construction - Necessary and Proper Clause/Elastic Clause)

  • Diverse economy that does not rely on just farming

  • Advocated for international trade to connect the US with foreign ports

  • Large New England following because it started with trading and ports

  • People: Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, John Jay

  • Pro-constitution and wrote the Federalist Papers

  • Diversity of the economy

2) Anti-Federalists —> Democratic Republican Party

  • Party for the people

  • Wanted states’ rights

  • No central banking system

  • Individual liberty

  • Constitutionally limited view of the federal government (strict construction)

  • People: Thomas Jefferson (Election of 1800), James Madison

  • Advocated for a Bill of Rights

  • Favored a country of small, independent landowners

  • Anti-federalists not a party —> against ratification of the constitution

  • Economy relied dominantly on agriculture

  • Education - liked a virtuous and enlightened citizenry

Era of Good Feelings (1815-1825)

  • Democratic Republican

1820 = start of a new party that resembled the Federalists (called Republicans)

  • Promote economic growth and centralization

1828-1864

1) Democratic Republican —> Democratic Party

  • Began with Andrew Jackson - Jacksonian Democracy

  • Federal government should serve the people, not money or politicians

  • Strong presidential power

  • Slavery should be decided by the states

  • Liked by the Southern states

  • Hate the Bank of the US

  • Pro Jackson

  • Favored hard money and against the usage of paper currency

  • Less centralized power (limited government role)

  • Smaller merchants/workingmen/westerners who liked an agrarian economy

  • Western Expansion

2) Whig Party

  • Federalist —> Whig Party

  • Henry Clay and John C Calhoun (not really a true Whig)

  • Business friendly

  • National bank should remain intact

  • Federal money for internal improvements

  • Split after their wishy-washy stance on slavery (expansion to the west)

  • Anti-Jackson (A combination of the National Republican Party, Anti-Masonic Party, and disaffected Democrats)

  • Centralizing power

3) Republican Party/National Republican Party (1828-1836) —> Whigs (Kansas Nebraska)

  • Haters of Jacksonian Democracy, supporters of John Quincy Adams

  • Henry Clay and John Quincy Adams

  • Against expansion of slavery

  • Lincoln

  • Supported economic nationalism

4) Anti-Masonic Party

5) Liberty Party

6) Free Soil Party (1848)

  • Denounced slavery and wants the government to abolish it in all districts and territories

7) Know-Nothing Party (American Party) - 1837-1850

  • Came from the Know Nothings movement - a nativist movement

Reconstruction Era (1864-1890)

1) Democratic Party

  • Carpetbaggers: Northerners serving as Republican leaders in the South

2) Republican Party

  • Conservative Republicans: South the accept abolition and proposed conditions for readmission

  • Radicals: Wanted more Harsher punishments 0 Stevens and Sumner

  • Moderates

  • Scalawags: Southern white Republicans

3) Green Back Party

  • Result of the Specie Resumption Act

  • Wanted Greenback dollars

Progressive Era (1896-1932)

Late 1800s = stable party system with the electorate divided evenly between the Democratic and Republican Party

1) Democratic Party

  • Catholics, Recent immigrants, Poorer workers

  • Do not want to restrict immigrants

2) Republican PartyĀ Ā Ā 

  • Restricting immigration

  • Protestant, middle class, ā€œold-stockā€ citizens

  • Stalwarts and Half-Breeds competing for control

    • Half-Breeds: wants reforms

    • Stalwarts: Traditional, professional machine politics

  • Roosevelt (progressives were majority democrat but Roosevelt was a Republican)

3) Progressive Party (1912)

  • Started by Roosevelt

  • Progressive causes: Regulation of industry/trusts, reforming the government, women’s suffrage, etc

4) People’s Party

  • Farmers’ party

  • Printing more money without metal restrictions to help get rid of debt

  • Populists

  • Wanted a more direct relationship with the government - popular vote of senators, referendums, etc

  • Anti-Immigrant

5) Socialist Party

  • Popularity after industrialization

  • Like a labor party but not really

  • Supported unions and cooperatives

  • Represent interests of workers

  • Support from urban immigration communities and protestant farmers

The New Era 1920s

Republicans

  • Tied to big business and believed in Laissez-Faire

  • Wanted Tariffs

  • Low money supply

  • Low taxes/spending

  • Military improvements

Democrats

  • Government =more involved, progressivism

  • Keynesian Economics

  • Supported by African Americans after FDR’s presidency

  • Southern Democrats/Dixiecrats - want to keep segregation

1928 -Hoover platform

  • Lower taxes

  • Protective tariff, don’t give farmers subsidies

  • Creation of new farm agency to assist cooperative marketing associations

  • Enforcement of Prohibition

Reagan Realignment (1981)

  • Reagan tries to get Dissimilar people to support him

  • Rural America (used to be Democrat)

  • Wealth Americans (Always Republican - no regulation, low taxes)

  • Blue collar workers

  • White southerners (Used to vote democrat - segregation, reconstruction, etc)

  • Evangelicals (Christian basis on government)

  • Yuppies (young, urban, professionals - opposite of Hippies)

    • Greedy, self-indulgence, etc

    • Hippie movement goes into the Yuppie movement