Compare And Contrast Democratic And Whig Parties

In the journal article “ Andrew Jackson versus the Historians”, author Charles G. Sellers explained the various interpretations of Jackson, from the viewpoint of Whig historians and Progressive Historians. These interpretations were based on the policies of Jackson. The Whig historians viewed the former president in a negative way. They considered him arrogant, ignorant, and not fit for being president. Sellers pointed out that it was not just because of “Jackson’s personality…nor was it the general policies he pursued as president” In fact, many of them approved of some of Jackson’s policies.

Because of the tie, the House of Representatives would have to vote to decide who would win the presidency. Hamilton used his influence to persuade enough representatives to vote for Jefferson to make him the president. Burr was furious and never full forgave Hamilton for what he did. Hamilton and Jefferson didn’t get along very well, so it was surprised some that he chose to support him and not Burr, who he had worked alongside on various occasions. Another reason for Burr’s actions would be when he ran for governor of New York.

Garrison founded a couple organizations to expand the movement, but his efforts were futile. Southern congressmen issued what was called “the gag rule”, which prohibited discussion of abolitionist petitions. Thankfully, most of the nation resented the gag rule, as they recognized that it threatened free speech. It wasn’t until 1840 that the first anti-slavery political party, the Liberty Party, was formed. For the majority of abolitionists, this new party opened a big window for action.

Andrew Jackson was not a good president. He was known as a champion of common men, founder of the Democratic Party, and savior of the Union. Despite these claims he was also single-handedly responsible for the displacement of an entire people, national depression and the creation of controversial federal hiring policy. These actions overshadow his presidency but his role in holding the United States together when South Carolina threatened secession was viewed as an important contribution. Born in 1776 in Davidson County, Tennessee, he was the first self made man to become president.

However, the North would not accept a document that favored the South, so Buchanan was greatly challenged. His policy was that slavery was for individual states and territories to deal with, not for the Federal government. He thought the problems could be resolved quickly and easily, which was a majorly incorrect assumption. Also during his presidency, political parties changed, the Democrats breaking up and the Republicans taking out the Whig

Andrew Jackson was the seventh president and he served from 1829 to 1837. He lost the 1824 election but won in 1828 because of expanded suffrage that allowed the common people he appealed to, to vote. During his presidency, he made many controversial decisions especially regarding Native Americans and his authoritative style of governing. Also, while he was in office there were many divisive issues, particularly about states’ rights and the power of the Federal Government. Overall, his presidency did not follow the central idea of democracy that is “by the people, for the people” and therefore it was not an era of democracy.

The North ended the Reconstruction because they were too busy to look after the South, they were racist to African Americans, and they removed soldiers from Southern states. America was well into the Reconstruction and the nation was happy. The election of 1876 ruined the dreams of over 3 million African Americans. The winner of the election of 1876 was Rutherford B. Hayes. President Hayes was a member of the Democratic party, but actually did not win the election until later.

The presidents that were in office were also corrupt, when Grant was president, he had a few scandals while in office Credit Mobilier Scandal, Whiskey Ring Scandal, and the Trading Post Scandal. In these he wasn’t very honest and he wasn’t looking into the best interest of the country. And a few other presidents also did the same they all entered with the best intentions and then so many things happen along the way. In the Progressive Era Theodore Roosevelt was the president in part of the time and during that time he tried to as honest as he could and he stayed that way till the end of his presidency. He wanted to be honest to remedy all the corruption in the Gilded Age he wanted to put American back on the right track.

Robinson’s activism in political theatre became most prevalent in the lead-up to the presidential nomination of Barry Goldwater, a Republican senator from Arizona. Goldwater adhered to a strict state’s rights position and despite being a Republican, voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Martin Luther King Jr. equivocated Goldwater succinctly in an address to fellow voters, stating, “While not a racist himself, Mr. Goldwater articulates a philosophy which gives aid and comfort to racists”, a prevailing thought that Goldwater shrewdly used his political prowess to manipulate anxious white voters who felt shunned by a changing Democratic party. Barry Goldwater was the anti-thesis of Jackie Robinson, as Robinson was able to effectively switch his political stances based off the issue of civil rights and Goldwater was effectively able to switch his stance based on stopping civil rights. Goldwater’s general brashness and thin-skinned demeanor provided a stark contrast to Robinson’s decade long insistence on respectful dialogue and understanding opposing

Lincoln is more of a fight for the 13th amendment and offers us an idea on how Republicans struggled to pass the vote. They needed twenty percent of Democrats and all the republicans. Even getting the republicans to support the amendment was a challenge. However, we fail to see how the African American is playing a role in this movie, they appear in the background while white men give them their rights. After a long period of negotiations, President Lincoln was able to pass the 13th amendment under a congress that didn’t have southern representation.

The third political era was that of the Democrats and the Republicans in which they were evenly matched. At first the Republican Party was not a major one, however as time went by the party grew, as they stressed the importance of having a moral conscience, which was seen in the debate over slavery. Due to them winning the confederate cause they became a major power until 1896. It was then in which Democrats who valued the idea of slavery and states rights were slowly losing, and the main battle was over slavery and the confederacy. Since the democrats lost in the Civil War it gave way to the fourth era in politics in which Republicans dominated the Democrats.

The emergence of the Republican Party was not predicted to be as successful as is, as third parties usually aren’t, but this third-party had made a massive impact in United States politics. The social, political, and economic factors during the 1840s and the early 1850s had led to the Republican Party America is familiar with today. Once the political parties began to split and isolate themselves, the Republican Party began to form. The Whig Party, a party with original intents to compete with Jacksonian Democrats, had split due to the alienation of Whigs due to General Winfield Scott. Along with the Whig Party, the Democratic Party was also split due to alienation and separation between the Northern and Southern Democrats.

Political parties hold far too much power in today’s election process and need to be abolished. Parties were originally only intended to serve as temporary coalitions for specifically controversial elections, and yet every election since the late 1700’s has been won by a specific party. The existence of political parties has had quite a few negative effects on America including the division of people, a lack of communication, and violence between opposing sides (U.S. History.org). The idea that political parties are dangerous is not a new concept. George Washington discussed his view on the issue in his farewell address in 1796.

There was such internal fighting within the Federalists that they could not form a formal opposition. Anti-Federalists feared that concentration of central government would result in a loss of individual and state rights, an aspect that defines American freedom today. They also opposed monetary policies and the Federalist support for trade with the British and were in favor of relations with the French, who helped during the American Revolution. This fall marked the end of Federalist party. The Republicans were now the only political party in America and the one-party dominance led to the name the Era of Good Feelings.

However, Truman’s attempts to follow his hard line in the policy were largely limited by the Congress. The relationships between the President and the Congress had been burdened with many factors. Although Truman was a Democrat, the majority in the US Congress belonged to the Republicans, who adopted a series of legislations of the right-wing conservative character. In his pursuit of the economic progress and social equality, Truman followed Roosevelt’s course: he aimed to provide a full employment, public healthcare insurance, federal assistance to educational programs and extension of civil rights for the Americans. The Republicans who controlled the Congress in 1947-49, on the contrary, tried to depart from Roosevelt’s New Deal.