Comparison Of Andrew Jackson And The Whigs: A New Two-Party System

After the debacle of the one-party presidential campaign of 1824, a new two-party system began to emerge. Strong public reaction to perceived corruption in the vote in the House of Representatives, as well as the popularity of Andrew Jackson, allowed Martin Van Buren to organize a Democratic Party that resurrected a Jeffersonian philosophy of minimalism in the federal government. This new party opposed the tendencies of National Republicans such as John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay to invest more power in the federal government. Van Buren built a political machine to support Jackson in the 1828 election. Van Buren’s skills helped give the Democrats a head start on modern-style campaigning and a clear advantage in organization.
The Democrats defeated the National Republicans in 1828 and 1832. The Democrats maintained their hold on the presidency when they bested the Whigs—a union of former National Republicans, Antimasons, and some states’ rights advocates—in 1836. But a major economic depression in 1837 finally gave the Whigs their best chance to occupy the White House. They faced Andrew Jackson’s political organizer, vice-president, and handpicked successor, President Martin Van Buren, who was vying for a second term.
By the time forces were readying themselves for the election of 1840, both Democrats and Whigs
The Democrats also were in favor of states rights, meaning less federal involvement in the development of the states, whereas the Whigs were on the contrary, favoring a federal government. The list goes on with the Whigs seemingly to using all sorts of propaganda against the Democrats, going so far as to call Andrew Jackson a king. We see the same thing every four years today, with all the television ads attacking a presidential hopeful. So in doing so, these parties were laying down the foundation for what we would continue to do for