The Breakdown of the American Party System and Civil War

The collapse of the Jacksonian party system "http://www.nv.cc.va.us/home/nvsageh/Hist..." played a very real part in bringing about the Civil War. But why did the system collapse? During the 1850s a political crisis occurred because of a string of events that took place. These events eventually brought about the fall of the second American party system. In its place arose a third American party system that would be very different than its predecessor. The Compromise of 1850 "http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0..." was seen as the death knell for slavery as a political issue. This was just the first in a series of events that eliminated conflict between the Whig party "http://gi.grolier.com/presidents/ea/side..." and the Democratic party. When conflict ceases, the system will die because the American system is built on conflict and compromise. One by one the issues that had divided the parties no longer caused conflict. The Democrats had traditionally welcomed foreigners while Whigs shunned them, but in 1852 the Whigs dropped the Nativist side of their platform so now both parties had open arms to immigrants. Then there was the tariff issue, in 1852 the Whigs dropped their traditional support for a tariff because the government had a surplus. The Democrats had always been against a tariff. As far as the banking issue, it was now written into state constitutions that the people would decide this issue. Once again an issue was eliminated from contention. It now seemed that both parties agreed on everything. The American people had believed that their government was working as long as there was conflict. The parties needed to be on opposite sides of the issues for the public to participate in the political process. It was conflict that had driven American politics. Now that conflict was gone, the people began to feel uneasiness and anxiety. They felt like their problems were not being addressed. When the voters lost faith, the Whig party collapsed and Americans began to gravitate to new political movements that could identify concrete problems to be solved. The second American party system was dead. A new party arose called the American party, or Know Nothings "http://gi.grolier.com/presidents/ea/side...". This party proclaimed hostility to Catholics and Immigrants. They felt that because Protestantism defined American society and that both sections of the country could hate immigrants, the Know Nothings might be the next major party to take the place of the Whigs. By 1856, there were a large number of political movements vying for the public's support with the Know Nothings at the forefront. This would change as many Northerners began to feel that the slave power in the South was a huge threat to their freedom. The events in Kansas had enraged the North as slaveholders resorted to intimidation and fraud in order to gain control of the legislature formed there. In the spring of 1856, pro-slavery forces rode into Lawrence, Kansas where free soil leaders were and burned the town. In Congress, Representative Charles Sumner of Mass. was savagely beaten by South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks because Sumner had made a comment about South Carolina. These events increased Northern fears of the slaveocracy and many Northern Know Nothings left to join the recently formed Republican party. The Republican party had been born in 1854 with anti-slavery extension as one of the main points of its platform. With recent events looming large, the Republican party became very attractive to many Northerners. Bleeding Kansas and bleeding Sumner had breathed life into the Republican party which now appeared poised and ready to emerge as a major party.

For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Craig E. Hutchison's U.S. Civil War 1856-62 topic, please visit the Discussions page.