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Anti-Federalists
Anti-Federalists were against the creation of the Constitution because they were afraid that the government would become too powerful and limit the freedom of the people. -
Federalist Party
Federalists, a part of the first two-party system, wanted the Constitution to be ratified and had a loose interpretation of it, meaning they believed all powers that were not expressly denied by the Constitution, were given to the government. Once Democratic Republican Thomas Jefferson took the Presidency in 1800, the Federalists began to grow weaker. They regained some strength when opposing the War of 1812, but fell apart by 1816. Their final fight was at the Hartford Convention of 1814. -
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Federalist Party
The Federalists argued for the ratification of the Constitution. -
Washington’s Presidency
1 year after the ratification of the US Constitution, Washington’s Presidency marked the beginning of an independent, democratic America. Many feared the president’s powers would allow him to be more like a king, but Washington’s honest reputation kept Americans tranquil, as he tried to calm the fears of “unlimited executive power.” -
The Democratic Republicans
Part of the First Two-Party System, it emphasized states’ rights and strict interpretation of the constitution. With a preference for agriculture and rural life, it gained support from the South and West. As factions formed, it split into the two new parties, the Democrats and the Whigs. Those in favor of states’ rights and who retained Jefferson’s suspicions of a strong federal government became the Democrats, while those who wanted a strong national government became the Whigs. -
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Democratic Republicans
Also known as Jeffersonian Republicans. Emerged from the Antifederalists. -
The Election of 1800
Thomas Jefferson ((Dem)R) v. John Adams (Fed) v. Aaron Burr ((Dem)R) This election was a test of the two-party system, but the leaders’ moderate positions kept the nation in peace. Unfavorably high taxes to support the French-American War lead many to turn from the Federalists. With a tie between Burr and Jefferson, the dispute went to the House, where it stood for six days until a Federalist representative switched his vote and Jefferson won. -
The Corrupt Bargain Election
All Republicans: John Q. Adams, Jackson, Crawford, Clay, and Calhoun(ran for VP after seeing Jackson’s rising popularity). Jackson won more popular and electoral votes, but didn’t gain the majority required by the Constitution. The election went to the House, with the top 3(Clay was 4th). Clay gave support to Adams and later became secretary of state when Adams won. Jackson felt cheated and claimed this to be a “corrupt bargain.” No evidence confirmed an alliance, but this hung over Adam’s term. -
National Republican Party
National Republicans were John Quincy Adams’ supporters. They were against slavery and the Jacksonian policy. -
Jacksonian Democracy (Democrats)
President Jackson’s followers began the formation of the modern day Democratic Party, which was a part of the second two party system. They promoted the strength of the President and the executive branch. Jacksonian Democracy fell apart once the slavery issue enhanced and the Civil War dramatically changed politics. -
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Anti-Masonic Party
This Party opposed Andrew Jackson's policies. -
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Jacksonian Democracy (Democrats)
President Jackson's followers formed this Party and promoted the strength of the executive branch. -
Anti-Masonic Party
This Party opposed Andrew Jackson, who was a mason, and his followers. The Anti-Masonic Party was the first Third Party in America. The Anti-Masonic Party dissolved in 1836, as most of its followers became a part of the Whig Party, which also opposed the policies of Andrew Jackson. -
Whig Party
The Whig Party stemmed from the Federalist Party, the National Republican Party and any other Parties that opposed former President Jackson’s policies. This Party encouraged banks and corporations, were cautious about expanding west, and cultivated commercial and industrial development. They received support mostly from Northern business and manufacturing interest and from large Southern planters. -
The Liberty Party
The party, brought about by disputes over slavery in the territories, nominated James Birney for president in the 1840 and 1844 elections. In 1844 it won only 2% of the popular vote. It sought the abolition of slavery through political action. It drew support from the Whigs in New York, and later absorbed into the Republican party. -
Free Soil/Free Labor Party
This Party opposed the extension of slavery into new territories because they wanted the white people to settle in the western land and become financially independent without competition from slavery. -
Lincoln's Republican Party
This Party believed that slavery should be banned from all the nation’s territories and not permitted to spread any further to established states. -
American Party (Know-Nothings)
The Know-Nothing Party supported American ideals over the influence of the immigrants. Their Presidential candidate, Millard Fillmore, got 21% of the popular vote in the 1856 election. The supporters of this Party became a part of the Republican Party after 1856. -
The Election of 1860
Democrats, divided on the slavery issue, nominated two candidates: Stephen Douglas and John Breckenridge. Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln. Northern Whigs formed the Constitutional Union Party and chose John Bell “calling for the preservation of the Union.” With Bell and Douglas in the middle, Lincoln, demanding that Congress prohibit the extension of slavery, and Breckenridge, claiming Congress had a duty to protect slavery in slave states, stood as two extremes. Lincoln ultimately won. -
Radical Republicans
This was a part of the Republican Party that believed the Civil War was meant to stop slavery and emancipate all the slaves. They wanted the President to be in control of Reconstruction and wished that the rebellious South was dealt with harsher. -
Creation of the Greenback Party
The Greenback party advocated an expanded money supply, health and safety regulation in the work place, and other measures to benefit workers and farmers. It got support from labor organizations and labor unions. -
Dissolution of the Greenback Party
The Greenback party faded as prosperity returned in the United States. The debate now focussed on the coinage of silver. -
Political Bosses and Political Machines
Political machines were unofficial political organizations designed to keep a particular party or faction in office. The boss, for example Boss Tweed, presided over the city's machine. These played a big role in gaining support for political parties during the Gilded Age, and demonstrated the role of party loyalty during the time. -
Half-Breeds and Stalwarts
The Republican Party split on half. The Stalwarts, who supposedly wanted reform, and Half-Breeds competed over the distribution of patronage jobs. Guiteau, a Stalwart, was angered when President Garfield, a Half-Breed, did not give out jobs to Stalwarts. The vice President was a Stalwart, so Guiteau shot Garfield thinking he would become a martyr for making a Stalwart the President. This event leads to civil service reform. -
Mugwumps
Harrison v Cleveland in the election of 1884:Cleveland got much of his support from the Mugwumps, who were Republicans who voted for Cleveland, the first Democrat elected in the half century after the Civil War. -
Creation of the Populist Party (People's Party)
People's Party of Kansas was called to order in Topeka. It was derived from the Farmers' Alliance, similar to the Grange, and campaigned for "free silver," which was a policy in which currency would be backed by silver instead of gold. Members wanted industrial freedom and respect from the current government. It spread new ideas and new spirit. They had the best chance of winning when they joined with the Democrats in the election of 1896. They could gain support from everyone for free silver. -
Socialism
During the industrial period, some people looked towards Socialism as an answer to their economic problems. Eugene Debs was the Socialist leader of the American Railway Union and he urged the nationalization of major industries. Scoialists wanted the government to controll buisness in the US. -
Dissolution of the Populist Party
The Populist Party disintegrated with the presidential election of William McKinley, a Republican, in 1896. The party reluctantly joined the Democrats. Bryan, the democratic candidate, supported free silver and the Populists didn’t want to take away from his votes by acting as a third party. However, big corporations, in fear of the survival of Populism, gave all their support to the Republican Party. Bryan’s defeat killed the Populist Party but made way for new emerging progressivism. -
Creation of the Socialist Party of America (SPA)
Eugene Debs was the candidate and ran 5 times between 1900 and 1920. He had the most success in 1912 winning 6% of the total vote. They wanted privately owned business and an economy based on man's well being. They didn't want complete government control over business like the communists. -
Insurgents
Small group of reform minded Republicans. With Taft’s passage of the Payne-Aldrich Tariff, the Republican Party split into conservatives and progressive republicans. The Republican Party didn’t reunite until the election of 1916 when the Progressive party endorsed the Republican candidate Hughes. -
Creation of the National Progressive Party ("Bull Moose Party")
The Progressive Party appeared during the election of 1912 with Roosevelt as its candidate. It formed to run against Taft, who failed to continue in Roosevelt's legacy. Progressives wanted broad reform(political-direct primaries and popular election of senators, social, health, wilderness etc) to adjust to the problems caused by industrializations. TR introduced "New Nationalism": a plan including corporate regulation, conservation, and consumer protection, which influenced many future plans. -
The Election of 1912
Roosevelt (Progressive Republican) v. Taft (I-R) v. Wilson (D) v. Debs (Socialist) Wilson wins the election and he greatly expands the powers of the federal government even though he ran for small government. Roosevelt ran for a third term violating the an unwritten law set by George Washington that you could only run two terms. Also, this is the first election in which direct primaries played a significant role in presidential politics. The Socialist party gained 6% of the popular vote. -
Dissolution of the Progressive Party
In the 1916 election, TR was focused on war, so the Progressive Party endorsed Hughes, the Republican candidate, thereby committing political suicide. The Progressive Party declined when the United States entered World War I. Attention shifted from progressive reform to problems of the war. -
Farmer-Labor Party
Candidate-P.P. Christensen
Popular vote- 1% -
Rise of Fascism
Fascism is when the government (usually headed by a dictator) has complete control over the nation. There is a strong sense of nationalism because everyone is a part of one political party and the nation is more important than the individual. Also, minorities are usually oppressed. Mussolini, a fascist dictator, seized power in Italy in 1922. Adolf Hitler based his type of leadership on Mussolini’s and looked up to him as a role model. Francisco Franco became the fascist dictator of Spain. -
Election of 1928
Herbert Hoover (R) ran against Al Smith (D) in the 1928 election. Many people were against Smith because he was a Catholic. This was the first election where there was a Catholic running for President, and there were many rumors that Smith would force his religion upon the country. He was also unpopular because he was a “wet” or an anti-prohibitionist. Hoover won the election. -
National Socialist (Nazi) Party
The Nazi Party was lead by the dictator, Adolf Hitler who took complete control over Germany. Hitler’s reign was called the Third Reich. The Nazi Party oppressed the minorities, such as the Jewish, who were not a part of the superior race, the Aryan race. The Nazi Party helped to take over nations, such as Poland and the Sudetenland, and force its type of government upon them. -
Huey Long
Share our Wealth Program: 100% tax on all incomes over $1 million and appropriation of all fortunes in excess of $5 million. He wanted every family to have free college education, a comfortable income, a car, and old-age benefits. This way he makes “every man a king.” He was shot and killed in September 1935, but his cause lived on. -
The American Liberty League
The American Liberty League was formed by Al Smith and business leaders, and was anti-New Deal. Conservatives found Roosevelt’s policies socialistic and they were unhappy with the New Deal. However, the New Deal still remained largely popular, as it reflected FDR’s success. This became clear in the election of 1936 when FDR won by a landslide. -
Election of 1936
Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) received 27,752,869 popular votes (60.8%) and 523 electoral votes. He won the election by a landslide. The Republican Party candidate was Alfred Landon and the Union party chose William Lemke. The Communist party received 80,000 popular votes. The Democratic Party gained support from farmers, union members, women, and blacks. Blacks had not voted Democratic since before Lincoln’s presidency. -
America First Committee
America First Committee was financed by Henry Ford and was arch conservative. It was the voice of isolationism in 1940 and Charles Lindberg, a pacifist, was the most popular speaker. It felt that “fortress America could stand alone” and didn’t want America to get involved in worldly affairs. -
The Red Scare and McCarthyism
Many Americans were afraid of communism as it began to spread throughout the Eastern Hemisphere. Communism is when the government controls all business and every man is equal. Republican Senator Joseph R. McCarthy of Wisconsin was famous for accusing many Americans, most of whom were innocent, of being communist or a spy for the USSR. McCarthyism became a synonym for personal attacks on individuals by means of accusing without evidence. -
The American Communist Party
The Communist Party was seen as a threat during the Red Scare, even though its membership was dying down. McCarthy took out his wrath upon its members. He prosecuted eleven of its top leaders under the Smith Act of 1940. (The Smith Act outlawed any conspiracy advocating the overthrow of the government) -
Progressive Party
The new Progressive Party nominated Henry A. Wallace (former VP of USA) as its candidate in the election of 1948. It wanted friendly relations with the USSR. It planned to gain votes from Northern states that viewed Wallace as the “heir of New Deal liberalism.” This was a split in the Democratic Party. -
States’ Rights Democratic Party (The Dixiecrats)
The Dixiecrats’ candidate in the election of 1948 was Strom Thurmond the governor of South Carolina. Its platform was to restore the segregationist southern way of life. They were angered by Truman’s policies on Civil Rights. This was a split in the Democratic Party. -
John Birch Society
This was an ultra-conservative, grass-roots group of 100,000 members. It was anti-communist and anti-government. This society related liberalism to treason and accused Eisenhower of being part of the communist conspiracy. -
The New Left
Inspired by the civil rights movement and determined to break away from the “silent majority,” 60 students adopted the Port Huron Statement and became the Students for a Democratic Society. SDS critiqued American society with an approach it called “a new left.” In an effort to eliminate materialism, racism and militarism, SDS offered a “participatory democracy” in which individuals would “directly control the decisions that affected their lives.” -
"new conservatism" and the Goldwater Candidacy
During the Election of 1964, Republican Barry Goldwater ran on a new conservative platform opposed to Johnson’s liberal Great Society. Although he lost the election, it changed the ideals of the GOP from a moderate policy directed in the East, to a conservative platform gaining support from the South and West. -
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party
The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party was the only freely elected party in Mississippi and was comprised of disfranchised blacks who were enrolled by white civil-rights workers from the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project of 1964. At the Democratic convention it insisted some of its delegates should replace the all-white delegation. They wound up with a compromise that angered SNCC and heightened disillusionment with the liberals and democrats. -
La Raza Unida
La Raza Unida was created by Jose Angel Gutierrez and other people in Texas. It was created as an alternative political party that would elect Latinos and instill cultural pride. -
Youth International Party
The Youth International Party was led by counterculture guru Abbie Hoffman and it sought to ridicule the political system. Its anarchistic members were known as “Yippies!” They wreaked havoc outside the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago with their anti-war protests. -
1968 Democratic Convention
The Democratic Convention showed the split in the Democratic Party. There were three candidates: Hubert Humphrey(LBJ’s vice president), Eugene McCarthy(“new politics”-anti-war directed to educated liberals), and Robert F. Kennedy(minority poor). The beating of anti-war protesters outside linked the Democrats with violence. Humphrey would win the nomination and would run against Richard Nixon(R) and George Wallace(Independent). -
The National Women’s Political Caucus
The National Women’s Political Caucus formed out of the growth of the National Organization for Women (NOW). It had political strength in promoting a feminist agenda. -
The Election of 1972
Richard Nixon (R) v. George McGovern (D) Nixon won the election overwhelmingly. He received more votes than any other President in history and crushed his opponent by a larger margin than any other President as well. Nixon used the “southern strategy” to gain popularity from whites in the south, and it worked really well for him. -
The New Right
The conservative New Right, embraced by Reagan, included millions of religious evangelicals stressing a return to "traditional values" in America. Jerry Falwell supported Reagan with his “Moral Majority,” that registered 2 million new voters in 1980 and 1984 and later disbanded after 1984. Pat Robertson’s Christian Coalition raised political clout and gained further recognition in politics. The religious Right continued to grow and proved a “potent force” in American politics in the 1990s. -
Political Action Committees (PACS)
Political Action Committees were used by organizations of all ideologies. They used computerized mass mailing to focus on emotional issues in debate such as abortion and gun control in order to gain public sympathy towards their beliefs and causes. -
Democratic Leadership Council (DLC)
The DLC was formed in 1985 by Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Joe Lieberman, and John Breauz, in order to move the Democratic Party towards a more centrist and moderate position. Frustrated with the outcome of prior elections, they wanted to reverse the Democratic Party’s image as a “big government” and “tax and spend” party.
