Premium Essay

The Whigs: A Minority Party

Submitted By
Words 112
Pages 1
When the Whigs didn’t succeed in the electorate and didn’t focus on things such as organizing their voters, they mainly lost. For the most part of their history, the Whigs were a minority party. Another problem was that the Whigs saw themselves as independent thinkers. They also did not hesitate to turn against each other. President Harrison died moments later, after he won the presidency. His Vice President was former Democrat John Tyler. When Harrison died in 1841, Tyler became president and he split the Whig majority in Congress, into factions (Guelzo, 2001). The Whigs suffered the voting of when their voters did not vote between the years of 1841 to

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Andrew Jackson's Negative Effects On Democracy

...cause of many negative effects on democracy, more than positive ones. The Democratic party and its program began slowly in phases out of the largely personal following that had elected Andrew Jackson President in 1828. As regularly defined by Jackson during his two terms, the party's frame of mind was essentially laissez-faire. Democrats-or Thomas Jefferson’s true heirs, as they called themselves-stood for a simple, cautious and an inconspicuous government. They also repelled government spending and government favoritism, especially in the form of corporate charters for banks and other enterprises.They claimed that all such measures always aided the rich, the privileged, and the unimportant—the aristocracy—against the humble yet noble, and ordinary working people. Again following Jefferson, the Democrats adopted anticlericalism and exact separation of church and state. At a time of great religious enthusiasm, Democrats stood distant from the nation's powerful, interdenominational (but primarily Presbyterian-Congregational), compassionate, and philanthropic associations; and they blamed the intrusion into politics of religious crusades such as Sabbatarianism, temperance, and...

Words: 606 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

The Democratic Party

...Democratic Party The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States along with the Republican Party. Since the 1930s, the party has promoted a social liberal and progressive platform, and its Congressional caucus is composed of progressives, liberals, centrists, and left-libertarians. The Democratic party believes, Rights of the Individual, Freedoms of the Individual, Responsibilities of the Individual, and Beliefs Concerning Societal Conditions and Governmental Responsibilities. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous operation in the United States and is among the oldest political parties in the world. The Democratic Party evolved from Anti-Federalist factions that opposed the fiscal policies of Alexander Hamilton in the early 1790s. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison organized these factions into the Democratic-Republican Party. The party favored states' rights and strict adherence to the Constitution; it opposed a national bank and wealthy, moneyed interests. The Democratic-Republican Party ascended to power in the election of 1800. Andrew Jackson is typically considered the first Democratic President of the United States. Current President of the United States Barack Obama is the 15th Democrat to hold that office. As of the 112th Congress following the 2010 elections, the Democratic Party currently holds a minority of seats in the House of Representatives and a majority of seats in the Senate, as well as a minority of state...

Words: 498 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Jefferson Notes

...The Presidency of Andrew Jackson – The Rise of Mass Democracy |Andrew Jackson – Biographical snap shot | |-His parents had been immigrants | |-At 14 he fought in the American Revolution | |-Experienced dueling a couple of times | |-War hero (Battle of New Orleans and Indian Wars in Florida) | |-Great ethical man – person life was beyond reproach | |-A lot of integrity | |-Not another guy from the Aristocracy | | | |Practiced law in Tennessee, Jackson had become a wealthy land speculator and slave owner, was first man elected from Tennessee to | |the House of Representatives, and he served briefly in the Senate. A major general in...

Words: 1807 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Andrew Jackson Dbq

...population. The common man (white man) was considered to be white, quite literally, and a man of the early 1800s. Many of the states required property ownership to be mandatory for full citizenship, but racial minorities and women were not included from that category. In 1840 rather than in 1790 there was a higher percentage of the American population was eligible to vote which was a real accomplishment. To new voters, there were large political parties that stepped forward. The new political life for men actually started two new political parties and replaced the Federalist and the Democrat-Republicans from the founding era. The Democrats and the Wigs were the new parties, and they mostly argued about the best way to manage the economy. This was called the Age of Jackson who symbolized this new style of politics. This new kind of politics began between the 1820s and 1830s, and there were four contributing factors to its rise. (1) The Americans felt that the government should be more receptive to their needs; (2) there were more American men participating in politics because of the expansion of the vote; (3) the entire nation became much more political because of the presidential election in 1824; (4) this was the beginning of the second two-party system and the rise of mass parties. The South was doing well and becoming Europe's principal supplier of cotton. With this happening would hope to continue economic success. Because of Europe's recovery after the Napoleonic Wars of 1815...

Words: 1272 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

History 1607 to 1877

...Name Instructor Course Date History 1607 to 1877 Question One The royalist ideas led to strained relationships between the Spanish and Portuguese, and their respective American colonies as a result of rebellion, modernizing reforms and wars in Europe. Despite the liberalization of the trade monopoly, and the subsequent prosperity in most of these colonies, the local people did not benefit much. The Royalists insisted that all the money goes to them, mainly the Iberian monarchies, and the wealthy Spanish landowners. The Royalist ideas of anti-clerical regalism of the reformers from both Spain and Portugal had eroded the traditions of the Iberian Catholic monarchies, yet the ideas of Enlightenment and political alternatives to royal sovereignty could be found. The conservative anti-government outlook of the South was thus created as Latin America chose independence over living under monarchal rule. The same applied to the Scot-Irish people who always felt that they had left Ireland against their will, as they had no choice at all. They were mainly Protestant residents from Scotland, who had been settled on land seized from native Irish. They were also discriminated against by the Irish parliament because of their Presbyterian religion instead of following the Irish dominated Anglican Church. The Puritans were a group of religious reformists who had the aim of “purifying” the Anglican Church. This started in the 16th century with John Calvin and began leaving England in 1608...

Words: 1461 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Civil War Inevitable Dbq

...The civil war was a result of the deep-rooted divide between people of the north and south. The abolitionists and whigs in the north were crashing with democrats and southerners. Neither side wanted to compromise their belief. The statement above is mostly true. People had extreme beliefs and were willing to carry out violence for them, and there were failures of leadership on both sides. However, the reasons why they believe the war was not inevitable, are actually why it was inevitable. Extremism was running rampant across the U.S. on both sides of the spectrum. There were strong believers of slavery and people who were hellbent on stopping it. This great division of people and beliefs was recognized by Abraham Lincoln in document...

Words: 929 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Pros And Cons Of Pro-Removal Americans

...Hearing the voices of those who framed the debate and the Cherokee themselves allows the reader to appreciate exactly how complicated the situation really was. Pro-removal Americans make racist judgments of the Cherokee but cast their arguments in humanitarian rhetoric. Pro-emigration Cherokee harshly criticize the Cherokee leadership as corrupt and disdain traditional Cherokee culture. American defenders and the Cherokee leadership deploy legal and moral arguments in a futile efforttoforestallAmericanviolence.  Yet the situation was even more complex than the editors convey. They ignore the very real class divisions within Cherokee society: the land- and slave-owning elite afraid of losing their property in the expulsion; the "middle class",...

Words: 367 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Tennessee Dix Case Summary

...dependable income for the hospitals by tapping into national wealth, the public domain. According to the General Land Office in April 1848 the federal government held legal title to 35,200,074 acres of land. The Western territories were still unorganized at the time, due to the after effect of the Louisiana Purchase, but that comprised another 671,186,028 acres of federal land. (25) Dix began lobbying in Washington, but the party views greatly varied on her proposal. Democrats argued that congress did not have the authority to use money for state “internal improvement.” They wanted congress to sell land for cheap for the means of expansion. Ultimately, the Democrats believed the decision should be left to the states to help the mentally ill. In contrast the Whig party believed that the federal government should develop the country by using public land sales to fund roads, schools, projects and hospitals. They advocated for Dix and felt that it was up to the federal government to decide what to use the land for. In 1850 the Whigs had become the minority of the house and Dix became greatly disrespected in Washington for being a woman, part of the reason her reform did not take hold completely in the capital. Male abolitionists were vicious. When 1854 approached, Dix brought her bill back to the house, where she won the house 81 to 53, but President Pierce vetoed the bill in the capital that would grant her the land. Sadly, she didn’t take the house by 67% and was disappointed...

Words: 1116 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Antebellum Texas

...ANTEBELLUM TEXAS. In the drama of Texas history the period of early statehood, from 1846 to 1861, appears largely as an interlude between two great adventures-the Republic of Texas and the Civil War.qqv These fifteen years did indeed lack the excitement and romance of the experiment in nationhood and the "Lost Cause" of the Confederacy. Events and developments during the period, however, were critical in shaping the Lone Star State as part of the antebellum South. By 1861 Texas was so like the other Southern states economically, socially, and politically that it joined them in secessionqv and war. Antebellum Texans cast their lot with the Old South and in the process gave their state an indelibly Southern heritage. When President Anson Jonesqv lowered the flag of the republic for the last time in February 1846, the framework for the development of Texas over the next fifteen years was already constructed. The great majority of the new state's approximately 100,000 white inhabitants were natives of the South, who, as they settled in the eastern timberlands and south central plains, had built a life as similar as possible to that experienced in their home states. Their economy, dependent on agriculture, was concentrated first on subsistence farming and herding and then on production of cotton as a cash crop. This meant the introduction of what southerners called their "Peculiar Institution"-slavery.qv In 1846 Texas had more than 30,000 black slaves and produced an even larger number...

Words: 6367 - Pages: 26

Premium Essay

The Greatest Hero: Theodore Roosevelt

...He had a passion for animal life but by the encouragement of his father he developed a rigorous physical routine that included weightlifting and boxing. He went to Harvard for 2 years then went to Columbia law school. Roosevelt didn’t last long at law school instead he joined the New York state assembly as a representative from New York city becoming the youngest to serve in that position. He went through various public service positions like captain of the national guard, and minority leader of the New York assembly. Then he left the political life for two years and returned in 1886 where he resumed his career first as a civil service commissioner, then as a New York police commissioner and an assistant...

Words: 1005 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Progressive Elements Of The Progressive Era

...From the conception of the Republican Party to modern-day politics, the Republican Party is one of the two major US political parties that has survived the test of time and reshaped throughout history. 1854-1861 The Republican Party was created with the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act – the act created the states of Nebraska and Kansas, and decided that popular sovereignty would declare if thee two states were to be free states or slave states. The passage of the bill created an obvious presence of sectionalism between the northern Democrats and the southern Democrats; the northern democrats became known as the first Republicans. Joining the northern Democrats in their Republican convergence was a large mix of Whigs (who were almost nonexistent...

Words: 1230 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Abe Lincoln Autobbiograhy

...Lincoln, Abraham (12 Feb. 1809-15 Apr. 1865), sixteenth president of the United States, was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, the son of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, farmers. Thomas Lincoln had come to Kentucky from Virginia with his father Abraham in 1782. He acquired only enough literacy to sign his name but gained modest prosperity as a carpenter and farmer on the Kentucky frontier. He married Nancy Hanks, also illiterate, in 1806. Abraham was born in a log cabin on "Sinking Spring Farm" three miles south of Hodgenville. When he was two years old the family moved to another farm on Knob Creek about seven miles northeast of Hodgenville. On this farm of 230 acres (only thirty of which were tillable) Abraham lived for five years, helped his parents with chores, and learned his ABCs by attending school for a few weeks with his older sister Sarah. In December 1816 the Lincolns again moved, this time to the newly admitted state of Indiana. The tradition that the Lincolns moved because of dislike of slavery may have some truth; they belonged to a Baptist denomination that broke from the parent church on the slavery issue. However, the main reason for the move was Thomas's uncertainty of Kentucky land titles. Indiana offered secure titles surveyed under the Northwest Ordinance. The Lincolns lived in a rude, three-sided shelter on Pigeon Creek sixteen miles north of the Ohio River. There Abraham learned the use of axe and plow helping his father carve a house and farm out of the...

Words: 2058 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Liberia

...Located on the Western Coast of Africa, the rather small country of Liberia extends across three hundred sixty miles along the Atlantic Ocean. Nestled on the ocean by Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Cote d’Ivoire, and just above the equator Liberia covers only 43,000 miles , which is only equates to about a third of a percent of Africa’s total size. Divided into fifteen different counties all with their own capitals and sub districts, from some that have dated back one hundred fifty years to a county that dates back only nine years, Liberia is a country with many different people. With a diverse climate, Liberia’s coastal plains, tropical rainforests, plateaus, as well as low mountains provide many areas where habitation for humans is suitable. Unlike most of the countries in Northern Africa, Liberia is hardly affected by the exceptionally dry and ever expanding Sahara desert and has vast amount of rainfall coming in the season of rain which begins in May and ends in October, while the dry season, which is also constitutes as Liberia’s winter extends from November to March, with a transition period in April where it moves back to the wet season. During the dry season violent dry winds sweeps across much of the country. These Harmattan winds are carried over from the Sahara Desert pick up fine sand particles and spread them all over Western Africa limiting visibility and causing troubles for many that inhabit the country. Even with the adequate land which is much more than habitable...

Words: 3333 - Pages: 14

Free Essay

Cell Phone

...1. When Christopher Columbus reached the New World in 1492, he found a. cultures so primitive that Spain thought the area could not be developed. b. hundreds of cultures with nearly 400 different languages. c. one large, common native culture with basically one language. d. only barren landscape without humans. 2. Spain and Portugal were among the first European nations that e. abandoned the feudal system and adopted democracy. f. accepted the authority of a single hereditary monarch for the entire country. g. adopted an established religion that everyone must honor. h. converted their monetary system to the euro. 3. When Christopher Columbus sailed westward seeking Asia, his goal was to i. carry the Gospel to unsaved peoples throughout the world. j. find new lands for Spain to conquer and exploit. k. locate an all-water route to Lilliputia. l. reestablish trade routes interrupted by the bubonic plague. 4. Traders sought new trading opportunities primarily to have access to m. better medicines to help Europeans conquer the Black Death. n. expanded power and influence in case of the need for additional crusades. o. luxuries such as sugar and spices demanded by the elite. p. staple foods to sustain Europe’s large peasant population. 5. At the time of Christopher Columbus’s first voyage, most Europeans q. acknowledged...

Words: 3111 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Free Boosie

...problem that the Founding Fathers were trying to solve. They faced the difficult question of how to elect a president in a nation that: • was composed of thirteen large and small States jealous of their own rights and powers and suspicious of any central national government contained only 4,000,000 people spread up and down a thousand miles of Atlantic seaboard barely connected by transportation or communication (so that national campaigns were impractical even if they had been thought desirable) believed, under the influence of such British political thinkers as Henry St John Bolingbroke, that political parties were mischievous if not downright evil, and felt that gentlemen should not campaign for public office (The saying was "The office should seek the man, the man should not seek the office."). • • • How, then, to choose a president without political parties, without national campaigns, and without upsetting the carefully designed balance between the presidency and the Congress on one hand and between the States and the federal government on the other? Origins of the Electoral College The Constitutional Convention considered several possible methods of selecting a president. One idea was to have the Congress choose the president. This idea was rejected, however, because some felt that making such a choice would be too divisive an issue and leave too many hard feelings in the Congress. Others felt that such a procedure would invite unseemly political...

Words: 8191 - Pages: 33