-
Anti-Federalists
The Anti-Federalists were poor farmers who favored states’ rights and debated the constiution. These people were against the Constitution and demanded that the Bill of Rights be included. Later they became the Democratic Republicans who sided against the the creation of the national bank and with Thomas Jefferson. Liberty oriented. -
Federalists
The Federalists included wealthy, well educated men. These men were in favor of the Consitution and are the contributing factor as to whythe government has the power it has. Later, the Federalists sided with Alexander Hamilton in favor of the creation of the national bank. The Federalist party broke apart after the War of 1812. Law and Order oriented. The Federalist were also in favor of implied powers. -
Democratic Republicans
Believed in enumerated powers for the government, only doing what is explicitly written in the constiution.Supported Thomas Jefferson in the election of 1800 against John Adams. Also known as the Revolution of 1800. -
War Hawks
Henry Clay were nationalists who wanted to go to war with Britain. They wanted the US to be respected as a nation. They also wanted to end any Indian threat on American soil. -
Whig and the Democrats
This party was present during Andrew Jackson's presidency and was close to equally represented throughout states. Which encouraged a rush to the poll because the outcome of the election was not certain. This was the beginning of the Second Party System. -
National Republican Party
These people supported John Adams and opposed Andrew Jackson. Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John M. Clayton and Samuel Southard were supporters of this party. They were located from Ohio to Mayland they were harsh opponents of the Democratic Party. Their goal was to utilize national government in order to advocate for political respect of the development of the American economy. They supported Clay's American System -
Whigs and National Republicans
They were strong opponents of the Democratic Party. Whigs were wealthy people who supported tariffs. Democrats were often immigrants who were poor and supported states' rights. -
The Liberty Party
These people strived for the same goals as the abolitionists, but strived to accomplish goals by political means. The party ultimately disappeared because they had a small amount of followers. -
Democrats and Whigs
Democrats vs Whigs. James K. Pol was a Democrat in favor of westward expansion. While Henry Clay was a Whig against expansion because of the issue of slavery would need to be adressed again. -
Free Soil Party
This party dealt with the issue of slavery. Their basis was "free speech, free labor and free men". They also supported taxes for revenue and industrialization purposes such as railroads and internal improvements. Former Whigs, some Liberty Party members and those who supported the Wilmot Proviso made up the Free Soil Party. They thought of blacks as equal to whites. They gained power through the Kansas-Nebraska Act. -
The Know Nothing Party (American Party)
Disliked immigrants, because of job competition, and their inability to pay taxes. Often immigrants lived in overcrowded places where crime was common. Francis Walker is an example of a Know Nothing supporter. Overall, they were nativists who followed the Whigs and when the Whigs broke apart became more influential. Because of the slavery issue, the party was split and thus broke apart. -
The Republican Party
Members of the Whig party that disappeared because of its lack of opinions on slavery made up the Republican Party. They were against slavery and marked the end of the Second Party System ,because they controlled the majority of the Norhtern Anti-Slavery States. -
President James A. Garfield (R)
President Garfield was in office for a very limited period of time. Previously he had been elected to the Ohio Senate. Garfield was assasinated less than a year in to his first term and died shortly after. -
President Chester A. Arthur (R)
Arthur was Garfiled's vice president, and completed Garfield's term after he had been shot. He intorduced the Pendleton Act which required employees to pass a test to work in most civil service jobs. Arthur also signed the Chinese Exclusion Act in to law, this restricted Chinese immigration into America, it was passed in 1882. -
The Democratic Party
The Democratic Party only had two presidential victories during the Gilded Age, first in 1885 with President Cleveland, and again with President Cleveland in 1893. The Democrats later joined with the Populist Party during the 1896 election. Both parties hoping to shift the government out of the hands of Republicans, shared similar beliefs and thought their chances would improve if the two joined. The Democrats were supported by factory workers, farmers, the white South and the lower class. -
President Grover Cleveland (D)
President Cleveland was president from 1885- 1889. Most notably, he was in favor of the Gold Standard, and the Interstate Commerce Act. The ICC was created from the Interstate Commerce Act and was used to regulate railroads. -
President Benjamin Harrison (R)
President Harrison was president from 1889-1893. His supporters nicknamed him Old Tippecanoe, because his grandfather, William Henry Harriosn had that nickname. Harrison passed the McKinely Tariff which was a very high tax on imported goods and was favored by the Repulicans. -
Formation of the Populist Party
The Populist Party was formed by farmers who had been apart of the Grange and later the Farmer's Alliance. They were angered by the harsh economic conditions and the lack of help from the government. Populists wanted the coinage of silver, direct election of senators, a graduated income tax, a low tariff and a limit on forgein labor. They were supported by those of the Democrat Pary, and ran James Weaver in 1892 and William Jennings Bryan, more successfully in 1896. -
President Grover Cleveland (D)
Cleveland served his second term from 1893- 1897, becoming the first and onlypresident to serve 2 nonconsecutive terms. During his second term, Cleveland lowered the rates of the McKinley Tariff through the Wilson Gorman Act. He was also president during the economic collapse of the Panic of 1893. Cleveland dealt with labor strikes, most notably the Pullman Strike of Pullman Car Company, he claimed that the strike was interfearing with the postal service. He justified sending troops to Illinios. -
The Republican Party
The Republican Party ran William McKinley against William Jennings Bryan. They supported, the gold standard, a high tariff and no income tax. Their supporters included, blacks (animosity towards Democrats because of the Civil War), factory owners and businessmen. The businessmen were scared of what would become of their fortune if Bryan had become president and did all in their power to prevent it, this with the help of the economical improvements allowed the Republicans to hold office. -
President William McKinley (R)
President McKinley held office from 1897- 1901. McKinley ran against the Populist/Democrat William Jennings Bryan. A supporter of the gold standard, McKinley catered to the needs of big business. He was supported greatly by Mark Hanna. Without the support of big business and the improving economy, McKinley may have lost to Bryan. -
Republican Party
The main focus of the Republican Party was regulating powerful monopolies and consumer protection. Some notable acts that were passed were the Hepburn Act, the Pure Food and Drug Act, and the Meat Inspection Act. -
Socialism
Socialism is a political party where the main focus was to abolish capitalism. They wanted more rules and regulations on businesses from the federal government. They wanted workers to have more freedom. Eugene Debbs ran on this party's ticket in the election of 1912 and won the most votes of any other Socialist candidate. -
Bull Moose Party (Progressive)
Because he couldn't run on the Republican ticket, Theodore Roosevelt created this party. It focused on environmental protection and having a strong central government. These goals were shared with many a Progressives, thus the party was also known as the Progressive Party. -
Democratic Party
The Democratic Party was focused on improving life for the common man. They were the only party in the Progressive Era to address lowering the tariff. Also, the work hour was shortened significantly. Additionally, the graduated income tax was enforced, which is still in use today. Woodrow Wilson represented the party. -
Republicans
The Republicans had major hesitations about the League of Nations, and believed it would draw the U.S. into conflict. Lodge Reservationsists proposed 14 reservations to the League of Nations, in order for the Treaty of Versailles to be pased by Congress. Wilson refused and America was forced to sign a sperate peace treaty with Germany. This was due to the Republican belief of wanting to steer away from foreign affairs, now that the Great War was over. -
Communists and Socialists
The fear of Communism and Socialism spred during the Red Scare from 1919-1921. This is largely to do with the Bolshivic Revolution in Russia. There were series of bombings in public places in America and the fear of anarchists, communists and socialists grew significantly. -
Democrats
After WWI, the American people wanted to remain isolationalists, so Wilson was the last Democratic President from the end of WWI through the 1920s. This is because it was the Democrats who began pushing America into the war, that caused a great deal of debt and struggles for the average citizens of America. Therefore, people looked for change, and focused on the Republican party after Wilson. -
Republicans After WWI
Harding won the presicential election of 1920, and died in 1923. The Republicans and America in general were focused on making the country an isolationistic one after the Great War and wanted to improve America. Republicans remained in office until the end of the 1920s. -
Republican Hoover
President Hoover, was president when the stock market crashed in 1929. Instituting the Hawley Smoot Tariff, greatly angered the public because it increased the tariff. Hoover was very hesitant to help the American people in the way that he should have because he did not want the American people to become dependent on the government's assistance.This lack of help Hoover gave was enough to give the Democrat Franklin Roosevelt the majority vote he needed to become president in 1932. -
Minorities Vote
During the 1930s more minorities began to vote for Democrats. For the first time since the Civil War the majority of blacks and other minorities were voting for Democrats. -
FDR and the Great Depression
Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, was focused on lessening and remedying the consequences of the Great Depression. He created two "New Deals" that provided relief, reform, and recovery for the citizens. Programs such as the CCC gave temporary jobs. The Social Security Act and Fair Labor Standards Act were also created to create a better lifestyle for citizens, which is still in effect to this day. FDR set a precedent for the government to interfere with the economy, and increased executive power. -
Truman Takes Over
President Roosevelt dies in 1945, so his Vice President, Truman takes office and is faced with the challenge of ending WWII. -
Truman and the Democratic Party
After World War II, Truman's main issue was the rising tension of the USSR. To prevent another World War, he issued the Truman Doctrine and practiced containment. Setting up the NSC and the CIA, the party focused on preventing other nations in the world from becoming a communist country. However, the party's popularity declined when China became communist. The Korean War was also unpopular, for America maintained it to be a "limited war" and the War resulted in an armistice. -
1948 Election
During the 1948 election, the Democrat Truman ran for relection, against John Dewey (R), Storm Thurmond (Dixiecrat) and Henry Wallace (Progressive). As a result of the radical groups, the Dixiecrats and the Progressives more voters fell into the Democratic party and Truman won relection. Dixiecrats were pro South and against black rights. Whereas the Progressives were pro-communism. -
Moderate Republican Party (Eisenhower)
The Moderate Republicans incorporated the ideas of the Democrats, such as extending Social Security, creating Interstate highways, and raising minimum wage. Eisenhower was popular from his Massive Retaliation Policy, where the US would respond with full force (nuclear weapons) when threatened by the USSR. Eisenhower ran against Adlai Stevenson (D) in both the 1952 election and 1956 election. Eisenhower's presidency is known as the "hidden hand" presidency because he acted above politics. -
Election of 1960
Election between JFK (Democrat) and Nixon (Republican). It was the first election to have a presidential debate. It was also televised, so Americans were able to watch the debate from their homes. It set a precedent that looks and confidence in the candidates do matter in elections. This was the closest election of all time. -
The Democratic Party and JFK
Kennedy was publically liked; he was a war hero, young, and energetic. JFK's campaign was the "new frontier" - pushing for domestic liberal policies like increasing technology. He dealt with a number of Soviet conflicts, such as the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis. During the Vietnam War, Kennedy wanted little US involvement. He was assassinated on November 22, 1963. -
Democrats Continued (Lyndon B Johnson)
LBJ was Kennedy's vice president. After his assassination, LBJ went to add onto Kennedy's "new frontier" by creating the Great Society, which was meant to reduce, or eliminate poverty. Most acts are still in effect today. Most significantly, he passed the Civil Rights Act to ensure that there will be no segregation by race, religion, or gender. He was determined to get the US involved in the Vietnam War. With the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, he had full control of the US military's actions. -
Republicans and "Vietnamization"
Nixon, who ran again for the second time, won the election of 1968. He pushed for "Vietnamization" - slowly ending US involvement in the Vietnam War. However, he did so by bombing Vietnam. This led to a nationwide counter culture movement, or hippies, who were against US involvement in the War. Nixon was passionate about the environmental crisis, and proposed the Environmental Protection Agency.
