1History of American Political Parties1848 Whig Party candidatesZachary Taylor & Millard FillmoreHistory of American Parties• Six “party systems” or historical eras• Changes in the nature of the two parties – Which voters support which party– What issues each party adopts• This change called a realignmentFirst Party System: 1790-1824Federalist PartyDemocratic-Republican PartyAlexander HamiltonStrong national governmentThomas Jefferson James MadisonStrong state governmentsFirst Party System: 1790-1824• No parties in Constitution• Develop at elite level• Issues– National bank– Relations with France and England2First Party System: 1790-1824• Develop inside Congress– Loose coalition of supporters or opponents to Hamilton versus Jefferson/Madison• facilitates passage of legislation– Coordination needed to win presidencyConstituencies• Constituency– Limited electorate– Weakly organized• Federalists: New England, English ancestry, commercial interests• Democratic-Republican: South and Mid-Atlantic, Irish/Scot/German ancestry, farmers and artisans, prosperity through western expansionFirst Party System: 1790-1824• Electoral outcomes– 1796 John Adams (Federalist)• Thomas Jefferson, Vice President– 1800 tied vote and 12thAmendment– Democratic-Republican won next three• Madison, Monroe, John Quincy AdamsSource: http://nationalatlas.gov/elections/elect01.gifAll election maps from nationalatlas.gov3Federalists disappear by 1820• Policy disputes within party• Failure to organize public support• Burr-Hamilton duel, 1804• Opposition to War of 1812• Republican-Democrats co-opt issuesSecond Party System: 1828-1852• Old Democratic-Republican party split into factions in 1824– four factions nominate different president– No majority in Electoral College, House selects J.Q. Adams• Andrew Jackson comes to dominate one faction• Another faction becomes the Whig partySecond Party System: 1828-1852• First real party organizations• First mass-based parties• Professional politiciansDemocratic Party• Jackson wins presidency 1828• Issues – limited federal government, hard money policy• Other presidents (Van Buren, Polk, Pierce, Buchanan)• Congressional and organizational leaders (Calhoun, Van Buren)4Whig Party• Issues - economic development, reform• Presidents:Harrison, Tyler, Taylor, Fillmore– mostly nonpolitical military heroes• Congressional leaders – Daniel Webster - great orator– Henry Clay - compromise leaderWebsterClayConstituencies• Democratic Party• Small farmer, frontier• Foreign-born• Catholic• Whig Party• Middle/Upper class• Native-born or British• Evangelical ProtestantChanges in Parties in 2nd Party System• Recognition of legitimacy of parties• Patronage• Mass-based parties• Party convention to nominate presidentEnd of Second Party System• Failure of compromises over slavery– Divides North and South and splits both major parties• Number of third parties– Free Soil (anti-slavery)– American or Know-Nothing (anti-immigrant)• Whig party disappears, Democrats transformed5Third Party System: 1856-1894• Post Civil War party system• Era of business expansion more than political leaders• Current Republican versus Democrats, but different issues and constituenciesRepublican Party• Combination of Whigs, northern Democrats, Free Soil, Know Nothing• Control presidency with Civil War heroes• Issues: industrial growth with high tariff laws, restrictions on labor, tight money policy, Homestead Act, land grants to railroadsLincoln GrantRepublican Presidents: Third Party System• Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)• James A. Garfield (1881)• Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)• Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)D.A.C.B.Democratic Party• Party of the South• Only won presidency once (Cleveland)• More competitive in Congress• Toward turn of century add urban immigrants, who were locked out of the Republican partyGrover Cleveland6Golden Age of American parties• Strong party organization• Strong leaders in Congress and state legislatures• Loyal party supporters in electorate• Rise of party machines in urban areasFourth party system: 1896-1930• Failure to realign along class lines• Economic strains in 1890s, urban & rural• Populist movement– Use government to aid “little guy”– Silver standard– For income tax– 8 hour day for laborWilliam Jennings Bryan“You shall not press down upon the brow of labor thiscrown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upona cross of gold.”Populist leader and 1896 Democratic presidential nomineeRepublican Party• Republican William McKinley won in 1896• Reemerges as a much stronger party• Control presidency 1896-1932, except for Wilson elected due to split in Republican partyPresident McKinley7Changing Competition• One party control in many states• Regional split in party constituencies– Conservative southern Democratic party– Republican party of business in the North• Decline in voter turnoutProgressive Movement• Middle class reform movement• Clean up abuses of power in politics and business• Registration laws• Primaries• Civil service rather than patronage• Nonpartisan local elections & city managersFifth Party System: 1932 - 1960• Great Depression• Hoover blamed• 1932 Democratic Franklin Delano Roosevelt won by “default”New Deal Realignment• Large Democratic majority allow dramatic new policies to be passed• Benefits cement loyalties of new voters– recent immigrants from southern and Eastern Europe, Catholic or Jews, northern blacks, union members, poor• Retained conservative southern Democrats8Fifth Party System: 1932 - 1960• Democratic majority party but split between liberal North and conservative South factions• Republicans minority– Only President Dwight Eisenhower in 1950s– Control Congress only twice Changes in party structures• Increasing decline in party machines• Rise of politician more independent from party• Media & technology• Mixed presidential nomination system• Multiple leadership positions in CongressSixth Party System: 1964 -• Evenly matched parties• Rise of independent voters & split-ticket voting• Frequent divided government• Frequent switch of presidential party• Candidate-centered campaigns• Presidential nominations through primariesChanging Constituencies• Exit of southern Democrats to