Political Party Systems in US History

Second Party System (1828-1854)

  • Time Period: 1828-1854
  • Key Issue: Centralized vs. Decentralized Government

Whig Party

  • Ideology:
    • Anti-Jackson (opposed to Andrew Jackson)
    • Pro-American System (supports national bank, tariffs, and internal improvements)
    • Pro-Abolition and/or Free Soil (opposed to the expansion of slavery)
    • Nativism (Know-Nothing/American Party) - favored native-born Americans over immigrants
  • Support Base: New England & Mid-Atlantic regions

Democratic Party

  • Ideology:
    • Pro-Manifest Destiny (belief in expanding US territory across North America)
    • State's Rights (emphasized the power of individual states vs. the federal government)
    • Anti-American System (opposed national bank, tariffs, and internal improvements)
    • Anti-Abolition (opposed to ending slavery)
    • Free Trade (no tariffs)
  • Support Base: South and West regions

Third Party System (1854-1896)

  • Time Period: 1854-1896
  • Key Issue: Slavery and its aftermath, industrialization

Republican Party

  • Ideology:
    • Pro-Abolition and/or Free Soil (opposed to the expansion of slavery)
    • Prohibition (banning alcohol)
    • Pro-Reconstruction (rebuilding the South after the Civil War)
    • Pro-Tariffs & Industry (support for protecting American businesses)
    • Pro-Gold Standard (currency based on gold)
  • Support Base: North region

Democratic Party

  • Ideology:
    • Anti-Abolition (opposed to ending slavery)
    • Fiscal Conservatism (lower spending and taxes)
    • Pro-Labor Unions (support for workers' rights)
    • Anti-Reconstruction (opposed to federal intervention in the South)
    • Divided over Money Question (Populists - farmers and laborers who wanted currency inflation)
  • Support Base: South region

Fourth Party System (1896-1932)

  • Time Period: 1896-1932
  • Key Issue: Industrialization, Progressivism

Republican Party

  • Ideology:
    • Pro Big Business & Industry (favored economic growth)
    • Women's Suffrage (right to vote)
    • Trust Busting (breaking up monopolies), linked to the Progressive Party
    • Racial Equality
  • Support Base: North region

Democratic Party

  • Ideology:
    • Anti-Trust/Pro-Regulation (regulating businesses to prevent monopolies)
    • Low Tariffs (reduced taxes on imports)
    • Anti-Inflation (control prices)
    • Income Tax
    • Segregation
    • Pro-Labor Unions (Socialists)
  • Support Base: South region

Fifth Party System (1932-1980)

  • Time Period: 1932-1980
  • Key Issue: The New Deal, Civil Rights

Democratic Party

  • Ideology:
    • Pro-Regulation (government intervention in the economy)
    • New Deal (government programs to combat the Great Depression)
    • Civil Rights (equality for minorities)
    • Minorities Realignment (shift of minority voters to the Democratic Party)
    • Expansion of federal power
  • Support Base: Urban areas

Republican Party

  • Ideology:
    • Deregulation (reducing government intervention)
    • Anti-New Deal (opposed to government programs)
    • Southern Conservatives Realignment (shift of conservative voters to the Republican Party)
    • Reduce Taxes & Inflation
    • Anti-Labor Union & Socialism
  • Support Base: Rural areas

Sixth Party System (1980-Present)

  • Time Period: 1980-Present
  • Key Issue: Social and cultural issues, globalization

Democratic Party

  • Ideology:
    • Increase Taxes
    • Increase Spending
    • Social Equality
    • Environmentalism
    • Health Care Reform
    • Globalization

Republican Party

  • Ideology:
    • Reduce Taxes
    • Reduce Spending
    • Traditional Social Norms
    • Restrictive Immigration
    • Anti-Labor Unions
    • Individual Rights