Difference Between Whigs And Democrats

Between the years of 1830 and 1840 the two main competing political parties in America were the Jacksonian Democratic Party and the Whig Party. These two parties did not only vary in their ideology, but also in the region of America where they were strongest. The Whigs were mostly in the north and supported far different ideas regarding the social, and economic build of the country, and western expansion, than their southern counterparts, the Democrats. Regarding social reform, the Whigs tended to be more open to new ideas, including those of the Second Great Awakening, and multiple women's rights movements (including Seneca Falls). The Whigs however were mostly anti- slavery, but a little pro- slavery, while the Democrats were mostly the same, but divided by geographic region. Most Democrats were in support of slavery, specifically those who lived in the South, while some in the north were not. The Democrats were also more interested in expanding suffrage for white males who did not own property. The main leaders for the two parties were Henry Clay for the Whigs and Andrew Jackson for the Democrats. These two men and their respective parties held very different economic beliefs. One difference between the two was, the
Because of it's prevalence in society both parties had strong opinions on it. While both parties favored the American Indian removal to free land for settlers, the Whigs were worried about the western expansion and what it meant for slavery. The Democrats liked the expansion because the southern states were beginning to get a little crowded, leaving not much room left for more farms and plantations. Where the southerners moved, came Democratic ideas, and with those ideas came slaves. This expansion of slavery worried the Whigs, especially in the senate, where if new states were to be added which had slaves, the perfect balance of free, and slave states would fall