User:Oberst/History of political party systems of the United States

This is a draft/mockup of a possible overview article.

Political historians often divide the history of the United States into various eras to aid in description and analysis. One such set of divisions is based on the development and evolution of the political party system.

[Indicate origin of terms, and how widespread their usage might be]
[Emphasize these are after-the-fact labels by historians, not distinct changes of constitutional forms (like Fourth French Republic vs. Fifth French Republic) or sharply defined eras always obvious to observers at the time]

(Period prior to First Party System)

Most American statesmen of the revolutionary era were wary of factions or parties, and during the Revolution and the period covered by the Articles of Confederation these played little or no part at a national level, and whatever factional groupings existed within the politics of individual states did not translate between them. Early national groupings were often based on shared geographical and economic interests, as the Second Continental Congress and the Congress of the Confederation dealt mainly with military and foreign affairs, and certain inter-state matters. This would begin to change during the debate over the ratification of the Constitution, with the division into Federalist and Anti-Federalist groups providing an early basis for the later emergence of national party groupings.

First Party System (circa 1790-1820)

Although there were no political parties at the time of George Washington's election and first administration, factions began to develop. These became centered around Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, who were heavily involved in developing national networks of supporters that became the Federalist Party and Republican Party, respectively. Particularly strong disagreements arose over the creation of a national bank, and the turmoil caused by the French Revolution, not only about the appropriate American response to the revolutionaries, but America's diplomatic relations with the various warring European states, especially Great Britain.

By the end of Washington's second term the party divisions were explicit, with Jefferson challenging John Adams for the presidency in 1796. Adams won, but Jefferson was elected in 1800, and indeed a line of Republicans (all from Virginia) would hold the presidency through 1824. Although Jefferson's first inaugural declaration that "We are all republicans -- we are all federalists" may have been partly rhetorical, it is true that partisan battles did diminish. Federalist opposition remained strongest in New England and other Northeast states, which were most heavily affected by administration trade and economic policies, including the Embargo Act of 1807, and the Madison administration's decision to invade Canada in the War of 1812. But partisan struggles eventually dimished to such an extent that President Monroe was re-elected in 1820 with all but one of the electoral college votes, during a time known as the Era of Good Feelings.

Second Party System (circa 1824-1856)

The presidential election of 1824 was not conducted along party lines, and with four major candidates no electoral college majority was achieved, resulting in the House of Representatives deciding the outcome. Andrew Jackson's loss to John Quincy Adams despite his greater number of electoral and popular votes triggered an intense amount of partisan activity, with Jackson winning the presidency in 1828. Jackson's supporters would eventually coalesce as "Democrats", while opposition to him formed the Whigs. Major issues during this period included Jackson's campaign against the Second Bank of the United States, and US expansion to Florida, Texas, California and other territory. Eventually the issues surrounding slavery would work to destroy the Whig Party, and divide the Democrats, prior to the Civil War.

Third Party System (1856-1896)

The collapse of the Whig party and the heated debates over the issues of slavery led to the formation of the Republican Party in 1854. In the 1860 presidential election, a North-South split in the Democratic Party allowed Abraham Lincoln to gain the presidency with a plurality of 40% of the popular vote. The Civil War removed the southern Democrats, leaving the northern party with a spectrum ranging from War Democrats to Copperheads. The Republican Party had an influential faction of Radical Republicans who were strong abolitionists and favoured harsher treatment of the southern states, and after the assassination of Lincoln these views would heavily influence the Reconstruction period.

Economic and other issues regained increased importance in the last quarter of the 19th century, with the Democrats, after losing a contested election in 1876, gaining the presidency in 1884 and 1892. The realignments which produced successive McKinley victories for the Republicans are generally considered to bring this period to an end.

Fourth Party System (1896-1932)

[Summary of article here]

Fifth Party System (1932-1968)

[Summary of article here]

Sixth Party System (1968 onwards)

1968-present: is this term actually in use?