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 Party   

• Restricting immigration

• Protestant, middle class, “old-stock” 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