The second party system arose with an increase of voter interests leading into the election. Before 1828, a small number of men had an involvement in politics …show more content…
The Whig Party was established in opposition to the policies of Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party during the Jacksonian democracy era. Andrew Jackson had infuriated Whig politicians by his actions concerning the Bank of the United States, the Supreme Court, Native Americans and his use of presidential war powers. Andrew Jackson shook things up after he took office. Jackson expanded the power of the Executive branch by destroying the Second National Bank of the United States, sending troops to South Carolina during the nullification crisis, and vetoing nearly every bill that came across his desk. Andrew Jackson was labeled “King Andrew” because he had so much power. One of the credicts of Jackson was a well-respected senator from Kentucky named Henry Clay. Senator Henry Clay decided that Jackson’s opponents needed to organize against Jackson. In 1831 Henry Clay started planning a new political party known as the Whig Party. Throughout the 1830s the Whig Party became popular with many candidates winning national elections and becoming members of …show more content…
The Whigs all shared interest in Henry Clay’s “American System”, and economic plan that had three main ideas. Those ideas included having a high tariff to protect and promote industry in the United States; a national bank to encourage trade and to loan money to business; and federal handouts for trade and to loan money to businesses; and federal handouts for road, canals, and other big internal improvements to help farming and to help the country grow and stay connected. The Whig Party also supported the Supremacy of Congress over the president and a more modern, market oriented economy. By today’s standard many Whigs would be considered liberal. Whigs had radical ideas like arguing that all children had to attend school to teach moral values and some even argued for the prohibition of alcohol. Many Whigs were anti-slavery and against Indian removal. The Compromise of 1850 split the northern and southern Whigs over the issue of the expansion of slavery out west. New issues like dealing with the rising number of immigrants, the problems with alcohol in society and the growing number of abolitionists began to split up the Whig Party even further. The Whig Party barely existed by 1856 but many of their core beliefs