The Whig Party, Pt. II: Log Cabins & Hard Cider
The Whigs’ foundational principles united their factions, but they still needed a presidential candidate they could all agree on. Here’s how they (eventually) found that candidate.
The Whig Party, Pt. I: The Era of Bad Feelings
The National Republicans needed a fresh start in order to unite opposition forces against President Andrew Jackson. As the Whig Party, they learned to appeal to voters with broad ideological principles.
The Know Nothing Party
That time a conspiracy-filled nationalist organization almost took over America.
THIRD PARTY SYSTEM RECAP!
When the Whig Party split over slavery in the 1850s, there was an open position for the main rival of the Democrats. The “radical” Republican Party beat out the Know Nothings to fill the void. Their mere existence led to secession and Civil War. From humble beginnings, the Republican Party became the dominant political force of the late Nineteenth Century. The “Third Party System,” ranging from 1856-1894, encompasses the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Gilded Age.
SECOND PARTY SYSTEM RECAP!
With Henry Clay’s death and General Winfield Scott’s huge loss to Franklin Pierce, the Whig party came to an end in the 1850s. Before we introduce the Grand New Party, I’d like to pause and review the “Second Party System,” or the era of the Democrats and the Whigs.
FIRST PARTY SYSTEM RECAP!
Since we’re moving into this second political phase in the Election Tuesdays series, I wanted to pause and recap some of the things I learned in the first two months of this project! Hopefully, you learned something, too!
Election Tuesdays 