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Election of 1796
1796 Election at Wikipedia.
This was the first election with true competition between candidates, and paralleled the creation of political parties. The Federalists won this election, but it would be their final time in office. -
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The First Party System
Two parties emerge: the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Federalist party did not last long, but the Anti-Federalists, or Jeffersonians, developed into the Democratic-Republican Party. This would later become the Democratic Party of today. -
Revolution of 1800
1800 Election at Wikipedia.
Thomas Jefferson defeats incumbent John Adams, bringing the Anti-Federalists into power. The Federalist party would die out entirely by 1820, providing the Anti-Federalists with very little competition during this time period. -
War of 1812
Battle of New Orleans at Wikipedia.
The War of 1812 was important in establishing Andrew Jackson as a national hero and a potential candidate in later elections. -
Election of 1824
election of 1824John Adams won the Presidency in a controversial election in which no canidate receive a majority of vote. Jackson lost even though he had the most votes. John Q. Adams won in a corruption deal. -
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Democrats and the Jacksonian Era
Andrew Jackson's election marked the beginning of a more Democratic Era. His supporters were the "common people." He was especially popular in the West, in part due to his origins there. This period saw a shift in who voted, with many commoners now paying attention to politics, instead of just the wealthy and politcally elite. -
Election of Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson at Wikipedia.
Andrew Jackson changed the way Americans viewed the presidency, and effectively made it a more democratic system. The common man became a very important element in the election, rather than just the political elites and intellectuals. -
William Harrison
Election of 1840 at Wikipedia.
William Harrison was elected as a member of the Whig party in the middle of several democrats. First President from the Whig party. -
California Gold Rush
California Goldrush at Wikipedia.
The California Gold Rush accelerated westward expansion, drastically affecting the population distribution throughout the country. Few people struck it rich, but the west still enjoys relatively high growth. The center of American politics was no longer restricted to the East Coast. -
Creation of Republican Party
Creation of the Republican Party at Wikipedia.
The Republican party was formed as a united political opposition to slavery. Initially, it would be highly popular in the Northern states, and unpopular in the South. In some counties and states in the South, Republican candidates were not even placed on the ballots. -
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Republican Era
Republics banded together to elect Abe Lincoln and ignite the civil war. After the victory the republics remained in control for around 60 years. This major event was known as a parry realignment. -
Lincoln elected
Abraham Lincoln at Wikipedia.
The election of Lincoln brought the Republicans to power. The Civil War began shortly after he won the election. Despite the turmoil of the country at war with its self, Lincoln managed to mend the nation. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest US Presidents. -
15th Amendment
Fifteenth Amendment at Wikipedia.
As part of Reconstruction, Blacks were given the right to vote. This made the Black vote generally Republican for many years. However, the southern vote would be consistently Democratic for many years, until Nixon would employ his Southern Strategy. -
Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland at Wikipedia.
Grover Cleveland was an important interuption in this Republican era. Cleveland was elected for one term, lost his campaign for reelection, then came back for a second term after four years as a citizen. While he lost his initial attempt at reelection, the fact that he achieved it the second time proved that there were still many Democrat supporters in this time period. -
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson at Wikipedia.
Woodrow Wilson was another Democratic exception to the Republican rule of this era. He enjoyed fairly good public approval, and locked in two terms in office. However, the Democrats failed to follow up with another Democratic president in the next election. -
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover at Wikipedia.
Herbert Hoover was the last president in the Republican era. In his term as president, the Great Depression struck, making him very unpopular. He failed to solve the problem (if it was even possible at the time), and was replaced by FDR in the next election. -
Great Depression Begins
The Great Depression at Wikipedia.
The Great Depression was the single most harmful event to plague the nation. Dissatisfied citizens quickly forwent the Republican party in favor of the Democratic party and their political star FDR. -
Election of FDR
FDR at Wikipedia.
The election of Franklin D. Roosevelt marked the beginning of the New Deal Era, when the government became much more active in the lives of citizens. He was elected 4 times, and was the only US President to serve for more than two terms. His time in office turned around the entire country: with the Democrats in power, the federal government became much more involved in both foreign and domestic affairs. -
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New Deal
The economic depression caused FDR to promise the country a New Deal giving measures to counter the depression. Scores of economic bills were passed as the federal government took a more active role in foreign and domestic policy. -
WWII
WWII at Wikipedia.
WWII was one of the events that brought national unity to a maximum. It also effectively ended the Great Depression. FDR died shortly before the end of the war, which contributed towards the New Deal Era drawing to a close. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower at Wikipedia.
Dwight Eisenhower interupted the succession of Democratic presidents, but due to his anti-partisan political ideology, he did very little to assist his fellow Republicans in succeeding him in office. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War at Wikipedia.
The Vietnam War is one of the most controversial and unpopular conflicts in US history. Lyndon B. Johnson broke one of his campaign promises by joining the conflict. This unpopular decision was an important event in the following election, where sympathy finally shifted away from the Democratic party. -
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Divided Party Government
During this time period, neither of the parties was absolutely dominant, with many shifts and realignments. -
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon at Wikipedia.
Richard Nixon's most important legacy in regards to political party influence was his "Southern Strategy," which focused on wooing the southern states to the Republican party. His strategy was largely successful, since southern states still tend to vote Republican in national elections. -
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan at Wikipedia.
Ronald Reagan redefined the Republican party, focusing on federal fiscal conservatism, reducing the number of federal programs. Interestingly enough, Ronald Reagan managed to drastically increase the national debt. Still, the people ended up electing another Republican, George Bush, after him. -
George W. Bush
George W. Bush at Wikipedia.
George W. Bush, a Republican, succeeded Democratic Bill Clintonton as president. He had very high public approval shortly after the events of 9/11, but otherwise had excessively low approval ratings. He is probably an important factor in a Democrat winning the next election. -
9/11
9/11 at Wikipedia.
Terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers caused bipartisan unity, unseen at any other point in this divided-party era. However, Partisan conflict soon continued. -
Barack Obama
Barack Obama at Wikipedia.
Barack Obama continued the pattern of alternating parties in the Oval Office. So far, he has enjoyed high approval ratings, and is still using his honeymoon period to push legislature through Congress. He currently has a majority in both houses, but partisan politics are still in play.
