Both the Democrats and Whigs originated from the Democratic-Republican party. They both branched off after the election of 1824. The two new parties were very important because their rivalry started the Second Party System we have today.
The Democratic party, at the time, was known as the Jacksonian Democrats and followed Andrew Jackson. The party glorified the “common man”, the lowly farmer who made a living off the land. As such, it consisted of, mostly, southern farmers, small northern merchants, westerners favoring a farming economy, and those who supported state’s rights and small national government. The party was against protective tariffs that favored industries and hurt small farmers and supported Jackson’s efforts to bring down the national bank. Consisting of mostly farmers, the Democratic party …show more content…
While the Whigs started out centered around the National Republican party, remnants of other parties such as the anti-masonic and democratic parties also joined the ranks of John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster as supporters of the Whig party. These party members joined because they felt that they had in some way been alienated by Jackson’s stand on state’s rights and opposition to the national bank. By 1836, 28 of the forty Democratic Congressmen who voted in favor of rechartering the National bank had converted to the Whig party. The Whigs drew the support of native-born and British-American Protestants, Baptists, Congregationalists and Presbyterians due to their commitment and belief in social reform. Western farmers that valued government-funded internal improvements joined and southern Whigs enjoyed the support of urban banking and planter associates. By the early 1840s, most of the state’s rights supporters had left the party, and the Whigs became more clearly associated with Henry Clay’s economic
The Democratic party, at the time, was known as the Jacksonian Democrats and followed Andrew Jackson. The party glorified the “common man”, the lowly farmer who made a living off the land. As such, it consisted of, mostly, southern farmers, small northern merchants, westerners favoring a farming economy, and those who supported state’s rights and small national government. The party was against protective tariffs that favored industries and hurt small farmers and supported Jackson’s efforts to bring down the national bank. Consisting of mostly farmers, the Democratic party …show more content…
While the Whigs started out centered around the National Republican party, remnants of other parties such as the anti-masonic and democratic parties also joined the ranks of John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster as supporters of the Whig party. These party members joined because they felt that they had in some way been alienated by Jackson’s stand on state’s rights and opposition to the national bank. By 1836, 28 of the forty Democratic Congressmen who voted in favor of rechartering the National bank had converted to the Whig party. The Whigs drew the support of native-born and British-American Protestants, Baptists, Congregationalists and Presbyterians due to their commitment and belief in social reform. Western farmers that valued government-funded internal improvements joined and southern Whigs enjoyed the support of urban banking and planter associates. By the early 1840s, most of the state’s rights supporters had left the party, and the Whigs became more clearly associated with Henry Clay’s economic