THE WHIG PARTY: A CHALLENGE TO THE DEMOCRATIC-REPUBLICANS

In the 1830s the Whig party emerged as the major opposition party to the party of Jackson. The Whigs and the Democratic-Republicans battled for elections throughout the 1830s and 1840s. Taking their lead from the legacy of Andrew Jackson, the Democrats generally favored a limited government. They saw urbanization and industrialization as necessary evils; the America they favored was still essentially a Jeffersonian one.

The Whigs favored more governmental involvement in commercial activities and favored the National Bank and industrial growth. They were opposed to rapid and uncontrolled settlement of the West. Consistent with their view of a more activist government, the Whigs also were more likely to sponsor reformist legislation. Predictably, businessmen from the North and Northeast supported the Whigs, as did Southern planters. The Democrats were generally supported by the “common man,” which included small farmers, factory workers, and smaller merchants. A Democrat, Martin Van Buren, won the 1836 election, but Whig William Henry Harrison was elected in 1840. Harrison died after one month in office and was seceded by John Tyler. Developments in Texas and American expansionism would become important issues during his presidency.