American in the 1790s-1850s Socially, Politically, and Economically

During the post-civil war era, America, specifically the south, was undergoing a period of reconstruction. The general goal of reconstruction was to successfully readmit the former Confederacy back into the Union as smoothly as possible, as well as enacting specific safeguards of freedmen’s liberties. The social and constitutional developments in America between 1860 and 1877 were very minor. The lack of change between pre and post civil war status could hardly be considered a revolution.

     During 1790-1860, there were many reformations taking place and many events that lead up to the reformation of this very inexperienced country, of America. All these events effected the United States different ways and caused many grievances for the young people living in America. In 1790 we firmly incorporated the first American cotton mill which led to the economic augmentation of the United States. In 1791 we established the Capital of the United States in Washington D.C., and Alexander Hamilton establishes the first bank of America. In 1794 in Pennsylvania there was an uprising called the Whiskey Rebellion. People were rejecting the taxes on their way of life, and that was whiskey.

The major parties since early 1830s in the United States of America were the Democratic Party, organized by Andrew Jackson, and the Whig Party, assembled by Henry Clay from the National Republicans and in opposition to Andrew Jackson.

By 1817 the great American experiment was in full swing. America was developing into an effective democratic nation. However as the democracy continued to grow, two opposing political parties developed, the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists. The Jeffersonian Republicans believed in strong state governments, a weak central government, and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. The Federalists saw it differently. They opted for a powerful central government with weaker state governments, and a loose interpretation of the Constitution. The seemingly solid divide between Federalist and Republican would begin to blur during the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. For, neither Republican president was able lead

Throughout American history, politics changed with the times, forming and growing as new situations and environments took place. However, the most drastic differences occurred between 1815 and 1840. During this time, the North and South develop different economic systems, which created political differences between the regions. Between 1815 and 1840, the number of eligible voters drastically increased as politicians utilized a wider variety of campaigning methods in order to appeal to as many voters as possible, all essentially caused by economic growth. Politics grow to include universal white male suffrage, a strong national government, and nationalism versus sectionalism. Economic Growth (American System, Industrial Revolution,

The First Party System refers to a period between 1792 and the 1820’s when the American political system was divided into two parties. Both parties, the Federalist Party, and the Democratic-Republican Party, wanted control of the Congress, the presidency, and the states. The parties were the result of the differences between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson on how to solve various national problems such as the economic crisis that was threatening the nation at the time (Dickerson, 2004). However, the roots of these political parties and concerns emerged during the constitution ratification process. On one hand, the Federalists supported the constitution while, on the other hand, the Antifederalists (Democratic-Republican) did not support it due to key issues that had not been considered in the new constitution (rAndon HersHey & Beck, 2015).

Despite the outcome I fully believe that the election of 1828 did in fact, create a democratic revolt of the people because of the social and political backlash that the election created. The election of Andrew Jackson as President in 1828 marked the beginning of an era known as Jacksonian Democracy or the Age of the Common Man. The changes in politics during Jackson's presidency provided various social and economic changes.

Since the creation of the United States Constitution, the many leaders of our nation took different roles in trying to attain perfectionism for their country. From the federalist views of John Adams to the democratic views of Jefferson, America was experiencing the endeavor that was being a young nation in the midst of the 19th century. The emergence of John Quincy Adams in 1820 started an “Era of Good Feelings” with exceptional political advancements and economic achievements. While Jackson’s democratic views were not always what were expected, during his presidency, the country grew national and world attraction. Through periods of boom and bust, political and economic changes in America undeniably helped reshape society between the years 1820 and 1848 with the emergence of new and innovative advancements.

The Jacksonian Democratic Party and the Whig Party each, exemplified different beliefs on the role of the federal government in the economy and towards westward expansion in the 1830s and 1840s. However, the Jacksonian, laissez faire supporting Democrats and the economic nationalistic Whig party shared almost no beliefs except for the removal of American Indians in the areas their supporters wished to settle. The lack of similarities is because the Whigs formed their own party to oppose President Jackson’s strong-armed leadership style and policies which earned him the nickname “King Andrew.” The Jacksonian Democratic Party evolved out of the Democratic-Republican Party in the early 1800s, the core of its membership was composed of farmers, immigrants, and white Southerners. The Whigs formed in 1834 and lasted for 20 years, they were the major political party that opposed Andrew Jackson. The Whigs were created based upon the Federalist beliefs in a strong federal government and adopted many Federalist and National Republican policy ideas, including federal funding for internal improvements, a central bank, and high tariffs to protect the growth of manufacturing enterprises. Overall, the Jacksonian Democratic agrarian Party and the industrialization supporting Whig Party had different beliefs toward the role of the federal government in the economy and towards westward expansion.

The “corrupt bargain” presidential election of 1824 led the entire nation to become increasingly political which led to the rise of the two-party system. The split between Clay and Adams on the hand and Jackson on the other hand was a key step in the development of the two-party system. By 1824, the followers of Jackson called themselves the Jacksonian and they advocated a strong executive branch, and favored continuous westward expansion. Clay and Adams chose the name National Republicans which they later change to Whig, in honor of Britain’s Whigs who had protested the authoritarian actions of the king of England (thus insinuating that Jackson desired to be a dictatorial King). Clay and Adam advocated a strong legislature, and government-funded internal improvements. The expansion of these various political parties saw the public interest toward politic rose. Because of this rise Political Candidates had no choice but to mingle with the masses and earn their respect and

The division of ideas led to the creation of the two-party system. The main issue between the two parties was how they believed the Constitution should be read and interpreted. When George Washington was president he assigned to people to his cabinet. Hamilton and Jefferson both which seen differences in the constitution. One believe that so of the constitution was good the other believe that some of it was inappropriate. This cause a rift and a split into a two-party system (AP U.S. History Notes).

Even if the framers did not intent the formation of such political parties, the first ever two parties were already formed during that time. The first somewhat political parties were formed when the new constitution was being considered, the two political parties were the Federalist and the Anti-Federalist. The Federalist were those who favored the establishing of the new constitution, while the Anti-Federalist were those who opposed the ratification of the constitution.

In the election that ended the "Era of good feelings"(1824) John Q. Adams won the presidency. While he was not a very powerful president himself, he is responsible for the beginning of the legislative role of the presidency. He believed the role of the president was to be a steward of the people and favored a loose interpretation of the constitution. He advocated internal improvements such as better roads, canals, schools, and a better army and navy. The action of Adams in an attempt to get the federal government to finance those projects is the basis that is used to legitimize federal funding even today.

During the time when the Constitution was being debated over the first two political parties surfaced in the United States, the Federalists, and the Anti-Federalists. After the Constitution was ratified the Anti-Federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson, became the

The party of Jackson is today's Democratic Party. By the election of 1836 the National Republicans and other anti-Jacksonians had merged to form a new party, the Whigs. They lost to the Democrats that year, but in 1840 they succeeded in getting William Henry Harrison elected President. In 1844 the Whig candidate, Henry Clay, lost to James Polk, but in the next election Zachary Taylor won for the Whigs. This seemed to be a time of uncertainty in political direction.