The Rise of Partisan Politics in the Early Republic
During the 1770s and the 1780s, the United States lacked a nationally organized political party (Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, 1986). The then-politics was marred with shifting, and individual factions with the various state legislatures. A number of factors contributed to the lack of political parties during those periods. First, there were few elective and administrative offices to stimulate the development of parties. Secondly, most leaders advocated against the development of political parties. Nevertheless, vital prerequisites for the development of partisan politics were already available. Suffrage was enjoyed by most adult white males.
The United States Constitution contributed to the development of partisan politics during those periods (Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, 1986). The Constitution established the House of Representatives, which created various preconditions through which the national electorate could be mobilized. Besides, the new House presented an opportunity for patronage that can be central to party development (Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, 1986). The new Constitution also resulted in the development of a new, national political arena where differences over national policy provided an opportunity for national officeholders to incorporate the public in its political argument. When Alexander Hamilton was given a role to organize Congressional support for administrative policies, he developed a Federalist' party' to simplify his association with Congress members, and other members of the public, such as his wartime associates, business acquaintances, and other elite members of the society (Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, 1986). The Anti-Federalists, who were led by James Madison, grouped themselves in the Republican' party' by the end of Washington's first term. Other factors outside the United States, such as the French Revolution and the Whiskey Rebellion, contributed to the development of the first political party in the United States.
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Development of the Second Party System
The presidential election of 1824 marked the starting point in the development of the United State's second party system that was more competitive, decentralized, and egalitarian than its predecessor (Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, 1986). The Whigs was created for the hostility of Jackson and the vigorous assertions of executive authority. Its operation was more democratic, with the Congressional leadership being made up of the most talented legislators of that period. The Whigs attained significant success in the 1840s election through copying the Democrats. The Democratic Party was overly sensitive about the state of slavery in the South and supported the government in its quest to eradicate slavery (Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, 1986). Like all other parties that were concerned about the South's state of slavery issues, both the Whigs and the Democratic parties gave the government a lot of leeway in the process of policy-making. Both parties did not have a strong unifying national perspective, with each having a decentralized collection of independent state-based functions that target to acquire economic subsidies from the national government; they, however, failed to have an understanding of strong national actions.
The Whig party was formed to oppose President Andrew Jackson and his Jacksonian Democratic Party ( Norton et al., 2014 ). The Whig party, which was led by Henry Clay, grew in popularity to become one of the two main parties between the 1830s and the 1850s. Although President Jackson attempted to paint the Whig party as an aristocracy, the party managed to gain enough popularity to produce two presidents, namely William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor ( Norton et al., 2014 ). The party attracted followers, including the Evangelical protestants, who were interested in the moral reforms, abolitionists, and individuals who resented the harsh treatment of Native Americans. The Methodists and the Baptists were overwhelmingly Whigs. The adoption of pulpit rhetoric in their campaign helped them garner the support of the evangelical protestants. The free black voters also supported the Whigs, mainly because of the party’s support for free labor ideology. Aside from Henry Clay, a former secretary of state, other prominent leaders of the Whig party include William Seward, Daniel Webster, and Horace Greeley ( Norton et al., 2014 ). On the other hand, the Democratic party shared a fundamental commitment to the Jeffersonian concept of the agrarian society. The party was mainly supported by persons who opposed government interference with matters pertaining to personal liberty. The foreign-born and second-generation Catholics and Jews identified with the Democratic party. Instead of the government being an agent of reforms, the aforementioned groups adhered to specific rituals and sacraments to guide their personal behavior. While the Northern Democrats focused on urban and economic issues, the Southern Democrats were involved in altercations against the Republicans, who they considered to be traitors to white supremacy and state authority. Therefore, the Democrats were divided into white supremacist Southerners and working-class, and immigrant-stock supporters. The party considered a strong central government as antithetical to personal liberty; the Democrats condemned the government's attempt to intervene in the economy ( Norton et al., 2014 ). The Jacksonian primary policy was to eliminate class biases and dismantle the top-down, credit-driven market. Aside from Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren was another renowned Jacksonian Democrat.
Unlike in the first party system, the second party system contributed to the development of more than one party in the American political settings. Besides, after the economic depression of 1837, both the Whigs and the Democratic parties presented themselves as strong contenders for the 1840 election (Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, 1986). Both parties understood how to campaign effectively. The showdown between the two parties in the 1840 election resulted in an 80% voter turnout, which was the highest voter attendance to be recorded during those periods. Both parties were learning to appeal to a wide variety of voters, which was a significant improvement from the 1824 election.
Movements and Events that Led to the Civil War
The primary pro-slavery argument was that a sudden end to the slave economy would result in a serious negative economic impact in the South where slavery was at the center of its economy ( Bigua et al., 2018 ). Aside from that, some argued that an end to slavery would result in widespread unemployment and chaos, which might result in uprisings and unlawfulness. However, on the other hand, the abolitionists' arguments were driven by economists, religious leaders, legal specialists, and humanitarian. The economist believed that the productivity of free men, who were properly reimbursed, is higher than those of slaves ( Bigua et al., 2018 ). From a Christian point of view, all humans are equal, and no one should be a slave of another. The humanitarian abolitionists advocated for an end to slavery due to the poor conditions that slaves experienced.
With the United States' acquisition of new lands, the sectional tension that was already in existence due to the issue of the slave trade increased. While some viewed statehood as a solution to the rising tensions due to slavery across the territories, the acquisition of land contributed to increased tension. Before, the free and slave states were equal, which neutralized tension about slaver. However, with new states joining the union, the balance was disrupted, and arguments as to whether the new states should allow slavery surfaced ( Bigua et al., 2018 ). Therefore, the westward expansion contributed to the increased tension about slavery and thus contributing to the start of the Civil War.
Upon the election of Abraham Lincoln, the Confederates attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina, marking the start of the American civil war. Aside from slavery, there were multiple events that led to the start of the war. In 1850, in an attempt to prevent a civil war, Congress enacted laws, popularly known as the Compromise of 1850 ( Bigua et al., 2018 ). These laws, particularly the Fugitive Slave Law, which required law enforcement officials throughout the United States to help in the capture of runaway slaves, provoked a national controversy with many Northerners refusing to enforce it. In 1855, there was a clash between Anti-slavery and pro-slavery groups in Kansas, a border war that lasted several years ( Bigua et al., 2018 ). The election of Abraham Lincoln as the president of the United States resulted in the secession of Confederate states from the union, and the start of the war.
References
Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. (1986). The Transformation in American Politics: Implications for Federalism.
Bigua, K., & Rabhi Rabhi Mahlal, F. (2018). The American Civil War (Doctoral dissertation, Ahmed Draia University-Adrar).
Norton, M. B., Kamensky, J., Sheriff, C., Blight, D. W., & Chudacoff, H. (2014). A people and a nation: A history of the United States . Nelson Education.
