Democratic Party (USA)

The Democratic Party is a political party in the United States of America, founded in 1828. It is one of the two major parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Its members or supporters are called Democrats.

The Democratic Party was founded in 1828 by future presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin van Buren after the Democratic-Republican Party fractured following the 1824 presidential election. Since its founding, the Democratic Party has remained dominant as one of two parties in the United States' practical two-party democracy.

History

Origins

The origins of the Democratic Party lie in its predecessor, the Democratic-Republican Party. The Democratic-Republican Party was founded in 1792 by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to oppose the File:FederalistPartyUSA-Icon.png Federalist Party, a conservative party led by Alexander Hamilton. Following Jefferson's election as president in 1800, the Federalists never regained control of the presidency, House of Representatives or Senate, leading to what some scholars have called the "one-party system".

Because of the Democratic-Republican dominance over government, factions began to emerge in the party, mainly between Old Republicans, radicals, and moderates. After 1810, the party would shift towards a divide between nationalists, who were in favor of federal funding and high tariffs, and the 'anti-nationalists'. Initially, the anti-nationalists rallied around William H. Crawford, before a severe stroke in 1823 led to his supporters flocking to the up-and-coming Andrew Jackson. Jackson was a war hero and long-term politician from Tennessee who in 1824 ran as one of four candidates in the 1824 presidential election. Although his supporters only intended him to be a spoiler candidate to ensure that Crawford did not win any electoral votes in Tennessee. Unexpectedly however, Jackson gained popular support of Tennessee which eventually led to him winning a plurality of the popular vote and electoral votes. However, as Jackson did not win the required 131 votes, John Quincy Adams was elected by the House instead after striking a deal with Henry Clay. Bitterness of Jackson's supporters over his loss in the election, along with John Quincy Adams' presidency, led to the creation of an informal coalition consisting of supporters of Jackson, Crawford, and vice president John C. Calhoun that opposed Adams. In the lead-up to the 1828 presidential election, Jackson's supporters founded the Democratic Party to support him in the election.

Second Party System

Jackson and his supporters would go on to win control of the presidency, Senate and House in 1828. The period of American politics from 1828-1854 is aptly known as the Jacksonian Era, as 'Jacksonian Democrats' would go on to dominate many of the elections during that time. Jackson presided over the expansion of suffrage for white men, populism, and anti-elitism. At the same time, they supported manifest destiny and the removal of many Native American tribes from their traditional homelands.

Third Party System and Reconstruction

From 1828-1854, the issue of slavery led to the Democratic Party fracturing between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions. This split was perhaps best signaled when former president and Jacksonian ally Martin van Buren founded the Free Soil Party to oppose the spread of slavery into new states. The Jacksonian era practically came to an end following the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which saw mass defections from the Democrats to other parties. In 1854, members of the Whig Party, Free Soil Party and other members of the so-called 'Anti-Nebraska movement' founded the Republican Party, which since its inception has continued to be the Democratic Party's rival.

Continuing factionalism over the issue of slavery led to the Democratic Party further dividing among anti-secessionist and pro-secessionist factions in the face of the perceived possibility of an abolition of slavery. This factionalism led to the Democratic party failing to elect a ticket for the 1860 presidential election: three Democratic-affiliated candidates ran against Republican Abraham Lincoln, which led to Lincoln securing a majority of electoral votes. Following the outbreak of the American Civil War, the Democratic Party fractured into pro-secessionist and anti-secessionist groups: those who supported the Union in its war against the Confederacy, and those who were against it (or who supported the Confederacy). After slavery was declared abolished in the United States in 1864 and the defeat of the Confederacy, slavery ended as the primary issue of the United States, with the politics of the Democratic Party shifting instead towards the problem of Reconstruction. From 1862 to 1874 the Republican Party dominated American politics, controlling both the presidency, the House and Senate until the end of Reconstruction in 1877.