I have long been interested in the history of the 2-party system in the US, and over the last few weeks, I’ve done some searches looking for the history of the ‘special status’ the two major parties have generally had in US history: presumptive funding under FECA; lega notice of caucuses/primaries in some states; the powers/traditions of party-linked offices like Majority Whip, Minority Leader, Ranking Minority Member (of Senate committees); etc.
I have Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States” on order. In the meantime, I’ve been wondering if there are any good comprehensive sources online.
I couldn’t find any good comprehensive sources online. I’d go to the local library if you can’t wait any longer. But did you know that the anti-Freemason party is the only successful 3rd party in US history?
If you can, track down one of the very few biographies of Martin Van Buren (8th President). He was intrumental in developing the Albany Regency, the forefather of the modern political party in the US, and any biography of his should give you some insight into the early history of the party system. You may also try visiting the Lindenwald site on-line (Lindenwald was his home in Kinderhook, NY). Last time I checked, there was some information on his party work as well.
I mean it was successful in that Anti-Mason candidates ran against 2 other candidates from the “popular” parties at the time, and won.
And I don’t understand the Republican party comment. I always thought that the Republicans were one of the first two parties in the US. But they were called the Democratic-Republicans. Or the Federalists. Or something. I don’t know, it’s been 6 years since I had American Government I can’t remember.
:smack:
Well, that’s true in a lot of cases, not just the Anti-Masons. Most recently, Jesse Ventura won the governorship of Minnesota, and there have been other third party governors and congressmen that ran against 2 other candidates from the “popular” parties, and won, not to mention a whole slew of local and state officials.
And, you’re confusing the Republicans with the Democrats. The modern Republican party was founded in 1854.
While these books deal more with the history of the individual parties rather than the legal structure set up to promote a 2 party system, you might want to check out Lewis Gould’s “Grand Old Party”, which is a history of the Republican party, and its companion book, Jules Witcover’s “Party of the People”, which looks at the Democrats.
No, today’s Democratic party was originally called the Republcian party.
The Jeffersonian/Anti-Federalist party became the Republican party. After the collapse of the Federalist party, the Republicans were the sole political party for a time. In Andrew Jackson’s time, it split into the Democratic-Republicans (Jackson’s faction) and the National Republicans (John Quincy Adams’s faction). The Democratic-Republicans eventually shortened their name to the Democratic party. The National Republicans quickly fell apart with many of their members going to the anti-Jacksonian Whig party. Once Jackson left the scene, the Whigs lost their raison d’etre and soon collapsed. The Democratic party was the sole major party, until the formation of the new Republican party in the 1850s, headed by Robert LaFollette of Wisconsin.
The GOP was formed in 1854 in either Ripon, WI or Jackson, MI (there’s some dispute), and Robert LaFollette was born in 1855. The first Republican candidate for President was John Fremont in 1856, with Lincoln being the first Republican candidate to win the Presidency. Lafollette may have headed the Progressive wing of the Party, but that wasn’t until the late 19th century and early 20th century.
You’re a generation or two too early for Big Bob LaFollette, who was born in 1855. It’s true the Republicans were founded in Wisconsin…in the town of Ripon, but the founders of the party were Alvan Bovay and Horace Greeley. (Maybe…the group that met at Ripon decided to form a new party and call themselves Republicans, but the Republicans held their first formal convention in Jackson, Michigan, so you could also make the argument that the party was founded there.)
In Minnesota & the Dakotas, there was the Farmer-Labor party, which was quite active during the 1930’s-1940’s, and was fairly successful – their candidate was elected governor of Minnesota, for example. During the 1940’s, FDR was the endorsed candidate of both the Democratic party and the Farmer-Labor party.
After that, around 1948, these two parties merged to form the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party. Hubert H Humphrey (later vice-president) was very active in working for this merger. This party is still active in Minnesota today, as the DFL party. In fact, the members strongly objected to a proposal to simplify the name to just the “Minnesota Democratic Party”.