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Ch. 5-3 THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM IN AMERICAN HISTORY

Ch. 5-3 THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM IN AMERICAN HISTORY. AMERICAN GOVERNMENT. THE NATION’S FIRST POLITICAL PARTIES. Beginnings traced back to the ratification of the Constitution The Federalist Party was the first to appear Led by Alexander Hamilton Viewed as the party of “the rich and well-born”

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Ch. 5-3 THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM IN AMERICAN HISTORY

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  1. Ch. 5-3 THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM IN AMERICAN HISTORY AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

  2. THE NATION’S FIRST POLITICAL PARTIES Beginnings traced back to the ratification of the Constitution The Federalist Party was the first to appear Led by Alexander Hamilton Viewed as the party of “the rich and well-born” Most supported the Constitution Federalists worked to create a stronger national government

  3. The opposition was led by Thomas Jefferson More sympathetic to the common man Favored a very limited role for government Congress should dominate Its policies should help the nation’s small shopkeepers, laborers, farmers, and planters

  4. Jefferson resigned from Washington’s cabinet in 1793 to concentrate organizing his party Name: Anti-Federalists  Jeffersonian Republicans  Democratic Republicans  (1828) Democratic Party The Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans clashed in the Election of 1796 John Adams (Fed) defeated Thomas Jefferson (J-R) by just 3 votes

  5. John Adams became President and Thomas Jefferson became Vice President Over the next 4 years Jefferson and Madison worked tirelessly to build their party. Election of 1800—Jefferson defeats INCUMBENT (current officeholder) Adams. Jeffersonian Republicans also gain control of Congress Federalists never return to power

  6. AMERICAN PARTIES: FOUR MAJOR ERAS History of the American Party System can be divided into 4 major eras I) THE ERA OF THE DEMOCRATS 1800-1860 “Era of Good Feeling” Democratic-Republicans were unopposed in national politics By mid-1820s they had split into FACTIONS (conflicting groups)

  7. By the time of Andrew Jackson’s administration (1829-1837) a potent new party had risen to challenge the Democrats National Republican (Whig) Party Major issues—the Second National Bank of the USA, conflicts over public lands, high tariffs, and slavery Democrats (Jackson) were a coalition of small farmers, debtors, frontier pioneers, slaveholders

  8. Jacksonian Democracy produced 3 fundamental changes in the political landscape: 1) voting rights for all white males 2) a huge increase in the number of elected offices around the country 3) the spread of the spoils system—the awarding of public offices, contracts, etc. to those who supported the party in power

  9. Whig Party led by Henry Clay and Daniel Webster Party consisted of a loose coalition of eastern bankers, merchants, and industrialists, plantation owners Whigs a major party 1830s-1850s (along with the Democrats) They elected only 2 presidents (both war heros) – William Henry Harrison (1840) & Zachary Taylor (1848)

  10. Slavery split both major parties Deaths of Clay and Webster caused the Whigs to fall apart The new Republican Party (1854) drew many Whigs and antislavery Democrats The Republicans nominated their first presidential candidate, John C. Fremont, in 1856 They elected their first President, Abraham Lincoln in 1860

  11. The Republican Party became the only party in history to make the jump from minor party to major party II) THE ERA OF THE REPUBLICANS 1860-1932 Civil War Signaled the beginning of the Republican Era Support from business, financial interests, farmers, laborers, and newly freed African Americans

  12. Democrats crippled by the war Survived because of their hold on the “solid south” Only 1 Democratic President—Grover Cleveland in 1884 & 1892 The Election of 1896 promoted the 2-party system William McKinley(R) vs. William Jennings Bryan (D) McKinley supported the gold standard while Bryan supported free silver

  13. McKinley wins the election Republicans draw support from wide portion of the ELECTORATE (people eligible to vote). Republicans remain dominant for another 3 decades. William Jennings Bryan campaigned for the “little man” He pushed party politics back toward economics and away from sectionalism

  14. Worst Republican setback of the era—1912 President William Howard Taft (R) vs. Woodrow Wilson (D) vs. Former President Theodore Roosevelt (R-Bull Moose Progressive) Republican vote split between Taft & Roosevelt Wilson wins the election and ends up serving 2 terms

  15. Wilson’s win was lucky Republicans would win in 1920(Harding), 1924(Coolidge), 1928(Hoover) III) THE RETURN OF THE DEMOCRATS 1932-1968 The Great Depression (1929) had a massive impact on all aspects of American Life

  16. Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)elected President in 1932 Election marked a basis shift in the public’s attitude toward government Roosevelt won with a new electoral base Southerners, small farmers, organized labor, big-city political organizations Revolutionary economic and social welfare programs – New Deal (1930s)

  17. Support also came from African-Americans and other minorities FDR won re-election in 1936, 1940, 1944 – each time by heavy majorities Vice President Harry S. Truman became President in 1945 upon FDR’s death Truman won his own term in 1948 Republicans won in 1952 & 1956 under WWII hero Dwight D. Eisenhower

  18. John F. Kennedy regained the White House for the Democrats in 1960 with a thin victory over Republican Richard M. Nixon Lyndon B. Johnson became President when JFK was assassinated in 1963 LBJ won his own term in 1964.

  19. IV) THE START OF A NEW ERA Richard Nixon(R) became President in 1968 The Vietnam war split the Democratic Party. Nixon faced strong opposition from Hubert Humphrey (D) and Governor George Wallace (AL-American Ind.) Nixon won by a small plurality

  20. Nixon re-elected in 1972 Nixon’s role in the Watergate Scandal forced him to resign in 1974 Vice President Ford finished Nixon’s term until 1976 Ford pardoned Nixon 1976-Ford ran against GA Governor Jimmy Carter(D). Carter won. Carter couldn’t get the economy moving and there was fallout from the Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979-1980

  21. Republicans scored impressive victories in1980 (over Carter) & 1984 (over VP Mondale) with former CA Governor and actor Ronald Reagan 1988—Former VP George H.W. Bush (R) keeps the Republicans in power 1992—AR Governor Bill Clinton (D) wins the first of two terms by defeating Bush and Independent Ross Perot

  22. The Election of 2000—George Bush(R) vs. Al Gore (D) Bush did not win the popular vote but he did have more electoral votes 2004—Bush defeats John Kerry (D) 2008—Barak Obama (D) defeats John McCain (R) Coattails—candidates with same party as the president also tend to win The end

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