Creation/Dissolution of political parties and sources of support including major elections*
By apush1pp
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Period: to
Creation/dissolution of political parties and sources of support including major elections
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George Washington Elected President
The electoral college unanimously elected George Washtington to be the first president under the Constitution. He did NOT have a political party, and later warned that parties would destroy the nation in his farewell address. Knowing that he was setting the precedents for presidents following him, he exersised his authority with great care and restraint. He also created the cabinet, which every president has done since. Fun Fact: No where in the Constitution did it mention a presidential cabnet. -
Birth of the Two-Party System During Washington's Presidancy
Alexander Hamilton, and those favoring a strong federal government became the Federalists. They also tended to be wealthy and northeastern, they supported a loose interpretation of the constitution, and they believed a national bank was necessary. Anti-French Revolution. Thomas Jefferson led the Republicans, later known as the Democratic-Republicans. They wanted small federal gov't, states rights, strict constitution, and viewed a national bank as a desire not need. Pro-French Revolution. -
John Adam's Elected President, Federalist
The first president to have a political party, Adam's is significant for also avoiding war with France during a war between France and England that got tense for the US, the XYZ Affair, and the Alien and Sedition acts. These laws disregard for the constitution, specifically the first amendment, led to the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions that declared the state's right to nullify unconstitutional laws. No state enforced nullification, but it set a precedent for the new nation. -
Thomas Jefferson Elected President, Democratic-Republican
This election is significant because Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied, meaning the Federalist congress had to pick on, and Jefferson won after a reluctant Hamilton campaigned for Jefferson, a lesser of the two evils in his view. More importantly, it was the first transfer of power, it went from a Federalist to a Democratic-Republican without bloodshed. This was unprecedented at the time, and was called the Revolution of 1800. -
James Madison Elected, Democratic-Republican
Not as significant as the men before him, his most noteworthy action was being the first president to ask Congress to declare war, the start of The War of 1812. -
Federalist Part Dissolved
Opposed to the war beacuse it disrupted trade and unaware that uts end was coming, they met in Hartford, Connecticut, to consider a massive overhaul of the Constitution or, failing that, sessesion. When the war ended soon after, most people considered the Federalists to be traitors, and their national part was dissolved soon after the Hartford Convention. This dawned the Era of Good Feelings -
James Monroe Elected, Democratic Republican
He created the Monroe Doctrine, a policy of mutual noninterference. If Europe stayed out of the America's, America would stay out of Europe. This would define US foreign policy for roughly the next century. -
Election of 1824
There was a four way tie. None of the four candidates (John Q Adams, Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, William H. Crawford) got the majority of electoral votes. Jackson did get the popular vote, and was seen as a man of the people. Unfortunately for him, in a tie it goes to the House of Reps. Speaker of the House Henry Clay threw his support to John Q. Adams and he won, then he made Clay his secretary of state. Jackson was furious and accused them of a "corrupt bargain". -
Andrew Jackson Elected, Democrat
In campaigning he created a network of support that became the Democratic Party. As president, he became the first man not born in Virginia or named Adams to be president. He also was the first true president to use the spoils system (trading jobs for political favors). Finally, he also ushered in the age of Jacksonian democracy, replacing the Jeffersonian Democracy with a more fair gov't for all white men. Unlike Jefferson, you did not have to own property to participate in the system. -
Whig Party Becomes A Political Power
By 1834, there were as many Whigs in congress as Democrats. They formed as a loose allaince of people that opposed at least one imporant aspect of the Democrats. For example: Democrats favored limited federal gov't, Whigs beleived in gov't activism (especially on social issues). -
Republican Party Rises From the Whig Party
The political instability over slavery and new territories, culminating with Bleeding Kansas and the Kansas-Nebraska Act destroyed the Whig Party. As the Whig Party refused to take a strong stance on slavery, anti-slavery Whigs and Northern Democrats formed the Republican party (a party devoted to stopping the spread of slavery). -
Abraham Lincoln Elected, Republican
An abolistionist, this was the beginning of the Civil War. -
Democratic Party in the South was Void
Recongstuction kept Democrats out of office in the South during its time, this was due to many causes included but not limited to black sufferage, they voted for the Lincoln Party (Republicans). -
James Garfield Elected, Republican
Republican -
Chester A. Authur Elected, Republican
Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau, he killed him because Garfield did not give him a job even though he was a supporter of him (Garfield didn’t know him he was crazy). This created a call for reform.
Pendleton Act - sets aside certain jobs to not be in the spoil system, must be competent and take competency tests -
Gover Cleveland Elected, Democrat
First Democrat to be elected after the Civil War -
Benjamin Harrison Elected, Republican
He passes the extremly high McKinley tariff, creating opposition in the form of the new Socialist/Populist Party. -
Populist Party Was Formed
Fromred from the Farmer’s Alliance leaders to make the People’s Party, or the Populist Party in response to financial difficulties faced by farmers, unions, and general growing worldwide support for progressive change (communism was on the horizon). They wanted Unlimited coinage of silver -
No gold standard
Direct election of senators
Income tax
Low tariff
Limit foreign labor (to get northern factory worker support) -
Grover Cleveland Elected, Democrat
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Populist Party Dies in the Election of 1896
William Jenning Bryan runs on the Democratic ticket.
The populists supported the democrats because they knew if they were separate from them, the votes would be split (their views were close) and the republican would win. Unfortunatly for them, the Republicans still one and the Populists were absorbed into the Democratic party and forgotten. -
Theodore Roosevelt steps in after McKinley is assasinated, Republican
Very progressive, trust buster (broke up the monopolies ruling America), impirialistic, made America a world power (talk softly but cary a big stick) -
Four Way Election, Including A Socialist and Bull Moose Candidate
William Taft (R)
Woodrow Wilson (D)
TR (Bull Moose Party/Progressive)
Eugene Debs (Socialist) -
Bull Moose Party Formed by TR
Theodore Roosevelt formed this party after Taft's first term had proven very disapointing to TR. Taft had grown increasinlgy conservative and broken up "good trusts" according to TR, so TR formed this liberal party to challenge Republican Taft. It was not as liberal as socialism but it was very liberal. -
Woodrow Wilson, Democrat
He oversees the passage of four amendements:
16th Amendment- Income Tax
17th Amendment- Direct election of senators
18th Amendment- Prohibition established
19th Amendment- Women’s Suffrage.
Also, he was progressive against big business, implimenting plans against the "Triple Wall of Privledge" (high tariffs, corrupt unregulated banks, and trusts). -
Marcus Garvey Founded The United Negro Improvement Association
Although not a political party, it did stir up some significant fears and expressed significant views during the 1920s, making itself onto this timeline. -
Warren G. Harding, Republican
Harding didnt do much after WWI Harding not doing anything returned America and the Presidency to the Gilden Age style, no more progressivism or dramatic acts. Herbert Hoover, the next president, would continue the same way. -
Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democrat) is Elected
This is very important for a few reasons. First and formost, he tried (it is debabtale if he succeeded or made it worse) to end the Great Deppression with his New Deal programs. Later, he led the United States through World War 2, until his death in 1945. By that time he had been elected a record four times. Every president before had followed Washington's footsteps and only stayed in office for two terms. Now, presidents are only allowed to stay in office for two terms. -
Election 1948, four parties including the Dixiecrats and Progressives, Truman Won
South: anti-Truman because he called for civil rights, they ran to the newly created Dixiecrats
Dixiecrats: Governor Strom Thurmond and the States’ Rights party, partly created due to Truman’s civil rights support that the south hated, and expanding federal power.
Progressives: Extreme left Democrats merged with Communists, they did not last very long due to the era of fear.
Truman (D) Dewey (R) Thurmond (States Rights/Dixiecrat) Wallace (Progressive)
Truman Won -
Dwight D Eisenhower wins, Republican
This is the first democrat in twenty years. He destroyed his Democratic opponent, Adlai Stevenson, with his war popiularity and frustration with the Democrats after Korea, "Communism" (McCarthyism/red scare) and "Corruption". Truman had a 23% approval rate in the end of his term, showing the unrest of the time. -
JFK wins, D
Beating out Nixon, JFK began a new era for the nation. Often called "A New Beginning" JFK modernized the presidency, had the first televised debate (with Nixon during the campaign), relied on liberal intellectuals rather than businessmen, brought culture to then Whitehouse, invited artists to the Whitehouse, was seen as a celebrity by most people, and supported Civil Rights. He was the first step in a new era in US history. -
LBJ Becomes President After JFK Is Shot
This usshers in the Vietnam War, Great Society Programs. This brings both the most liberal programs created at once and worst war in US history. -
The moderate Republican party was transformed into a descidedly conservative party in the 1964 election.
The Moderate Republican party was transformed into a descidedly conservative party in the 1964 election. This was after Republican Barry Goldwater united the party against the Civil Rights Lyndon B. Johnson and transformed the party into a strictly conservative, sotuhern and western party. For recent history until this point it was a moderatly conservative eastern party. For the first time since before the Civil War, the Solid Democratic South was broken and becoming Republican. -
Election 1968
Hubert Humphrey (D) vs Richard Nixon (R) vs George Wallace, Independent
Democrats lost due to record with LBJ, war, and violence outside their DNC Convention in Chicago when protestors protested the nomination of Humphrey over a man who would have ended the war faster (a man named McCarthy) which made them look divided. Nixon promised law and order, and an end to the war. Very appealling, he broke the New Deal Coallition and began a new conservative era. Wallace was racist, got the deep south. -
Richard Nixon Eleted, Republican
This began the return to conservatism by the America people. After a period of instablitly, protests, extreme liberalism (see the 60s unit) people were tired and angry at protestors and hippies, and returned to coservatism. People wanted stability not reform, the new deal coalition was broken too. -
Nixon Wins, Republican
Goldwater cracked the solid south, but here Nixon effectively used his Southern Strategy to decidedly win the white south by downplaying civil rights. From now on the south will be a solid Republican base.
