It’s 1834, are you wearing a Whig?
Established in 1834, the Whig Party was a reaction to the authoritarian policies of Andrew Jackson. “King Andrew,” as his critics labeled him, had angered his political opponents (the people against him) by his actions regarding the Bank of the United States, Native Americans (Trail of Tears), the Supreme Court and his use of presidential war powers. The term Whig was taken from English politics, the name of a faction that opposed royal tyranny.
People attracted to the Whig Party included Jackson critics, states’ rights advocates (people for states’ rights), and supporters of the American System (those who believed in the Second National Bank, high tariffs to go to the Federal government that will boost industry). In some respects the Whigs were the descendants of the old Federalist Party, supporting the Hamiltonian (Alexander Hamilton, the designer of the National Bank) preference for Federalism: strong federal action in dealing with national problems. As a party it did not exist before 1834, but its center was formed in 1824 against Andrew Jackson. The old Federalist Party, which later called itself the National Republican party, increased in strength after the election of Jackson in 1828 and was joined by other smaller parties, the most notable being the Anti-Masonic party.
Whig Presidents/ Years in Office:
Harrison – 1841 (president for one-month)
John Tyler *– (after Harrison died) 1841-1845
Zachary Taylor – 1849-1850
Millard Fillmore (after Taylor died) – 1850-1853
Whig track record (Presidential): The Whigs' efforts to unify were slow and unsuccessful.
· The Election of 1836: Whig Defeat: The Whigs offered three regional candidates but were easily beaten by the Democratic candidate, Martin Van Buren
· The Election of 1840: Whig Victory: The famous “log cabin and hard cider” campaign yielded a Whig victory with William Henry Harrison and John Tyler
· The Election of 1844: Whig Defeat: James K. Polk, the Democratic candidate, outdistanced Whig Henry Clay in a contest noted for its close popular vote
· The Election of 1848: Whig Victory: The final Whig presidential victory, in which Zachary Taylor defeated Democrat Lewis Cass primarily because of votes diverted to third party candidate Martin Van Buren; the vice president, Millard Fillmore, became president upon Taylor’s death
· The Election of 1852: Whig Defeat: Democrat Franklin Pierce easily out-pointed Whig Winfield Scott
· The Election of 1856: Whig Defeat: The Whigs made a nominal appearance with Millard Fillmore of the National American Party (garnering feeble Whig support), losing badly to Republican John C. Frémont and the victor Democrat James Buchanan.
Whigs fall apart:
The issue of slavery split the party. In 1848 several important Whigs joined the new Free-Soil party, along with the abolitionists. “Conscience Whigs” in the North favored the abolition of slavery and halting the institution's spread into new territories. The “Cotton Whigs” in the South took the opposite viewpoints. Following Scott’s poor showing in 1852 (where he won only 42 Electoral Votes), the southerners moved to the Democratic Party and the northerners to the newly formed Republican Party (created in 1854). Other Whigs, led by Fillmore, drifted into the Know-Nothing Movement.