TheSecond Party System is a name for thepolitical party system in theUnited States during the 1800s. It is a phrase used byhistorians andpolitical scientists to describe the time period between 1828 and 1854. People quickly became more interested in voting starting in 1828. More people came topolitical rallies and showed up to vote onelection day. There were also more partisan newspapers, which supported a certain political party. People became very loyal to their party.^[1][2]

There were two main political parties during this time period. One was theDemocratic Party, led byAndrew Jackson. The other was theWhig Party, started byHenry Clay. The Whig party was made up of members of theNational Republican Party and other people who opposed Jackson.

There were also a number of importantminor parties. TheAnti-Masonic Party (1827-34) was important in developing political ideas and laws. TheLiberty Party in the 1840s was an importantabolitionist party (againstslavery). The United StatesFree Soil Party in 1848 and 1852 was another anti-slavery party.

The Second Party System was an important part of the politics,society,economics, andculture of theJacksonian Era. It was followed by theThird Party System after 1854.^[3]

The phrase "second party system" wasdefined by thehistorianRichard P. McCormick. He said that the system was:^[4]

• It was a distinct party system.
• It was created over 15 years. The exact amount of time it took to evolve was different for each state.
• It was caused by leaders trying to become president. Each candidate built his own nationalcoalition.
• The popularity of a leader and his followers depended on theregion. For example, John Quincy Adams was strongest inNew England. Andrew Jackson and his supporters were strongest in the American Southwest.
• For the first time, the South and West had two-party politics. (Before that, these regions only had one political party.)
• In each region, the two political parties had equal support.
• The parties werevulnerable to issues specific to a particular region (like slavery).
• The same two parties appeared in every state.
• The Anti-Masonic party was popular only in the states with a weak second party.
• Thecaucus replaced thepolitical convention as a way for people with the same views to meet and discuss politics.
• Political campaigning began to focus more on thepopular vote – the support of the common people.
• Voters were more interested in close elections. In earlier systems, voters were interested incharismatic (well-spoken) candidates and particular issues.

A number of important historical people were political leaders in this system. Some famous democrats were:Andrew Jackson,Martin Van Buren,John C. Calhoun,James K. Polk,Lewis Cass, andStephen Douglas. Some famous Whigs were:Henry Clay,Daniel Webster,William H. Seward, andThurlow Weed.^[2]

The United States presidential election in 1824 did not have any political parties. There were four maincandidates for president:Henry Clay,William Crawford,Andrew Jackson, andJohn Quincy Adams. At the end of the race, none of the candidates had enough votes in theelectoral college to win, and theUnited States House of Representatives had to choose the winner. The three final candidates were Adams, Crawford, and Jackson. Even though Clay was not one of these finalists, he was theSpeaker of the House, and it was his job to negotiate who would become president. Jackson had the most popular votes (votes cast by citizens) and the most electoral votes (votes cast by the electoral college), but was not elected. Instead, John Quincy Adams was elected president. He immediately chose Clay to be his Secretary of State.^[5]

Jackson loudly declared this to be a "corrupt bargain." Jackson was a very popular politician, the most famous fighter of theAmerican Indian Wars, and a hero of theWar of 1812. He gathered his supporters in politics and the localmilitias and created theDemocratic Party.Martin Van Buren, a brilliant leader inNew York politics, was Jackson's most important supporter. Van Buren was popular inVirginia andPennsylvania, and he had the support of their electoral college votes. The new Democratic Party beat Adams in the U.S. presidential election of 1828 and Jackson was elected president. Van Buren became the Secretary of State, and later Vice President. Adams, Clay, and their supporters in the Democratic-Republican Party became known as the National Republicans.^[5]

Andrew Jackson was against the idea of giving special favors tospecial interest groups. He strongly opposed theSecond Bank of the United States.^[6] The Bank was afederalinstitution that worked somewhat like acentral bank. (It was very similar to theFederal Reserve System that would be developed later.) The bank was controlled by the bankerNicholas Biddle and supported byHenry Clay. Jackson did not like any banks, and he did not believe in paper money. (He believed that money should only be gold and silver.) As president, he was able to close the Second Bank.^[2]

Jackson continued to attack the banking system. He issued hisSpecie Circular in July 1836. (Specie is a word that means gold and silver used as money.) The Circular said that only gold and siver coins, and not paper money, could be used to buyfederal land. This made mostbusinessmen andbankers join the Whig party. Also, cities that depended oncommerce (trade) andindustry became supporters of the Whig party. Jackson became more popular withsubsistence farmers (farmers who grow crops to eat, but not to sell) and day laborers.^[6]

In US politics, theSpoils System was the practice of a political party giving its supporters positions in government. These government jobs were given asrewards andincentives (something that makes a person try harder) to keep working for the political party.

Jackson used the spoils system a lot when he was president. He rewarded his supporters and promised future jobs if local and statepoliticians joined his team. He believed in the theory ofrotation in office, where people would only remain in a position for a short time.^[7] He believed that this would keep thecivil service from becomingcorrupt. Other leaders of the Democratic Party wanted to give civil service jobs to friends and loyal party members. In total, Jacksondismissed less than twenty percent (20%) of the original civil service.^[8]

As president, Jacksonencouraged the use of the spoils system. It became an important part of the Second Party System and the Third Party System. The spoils system was ended in the 1890s.

• First Party System, 1790s–1820s
• Third Party System, 1850s–1890s
• Political parties in the United States

• Brown, David (1999)."Jeffersonian Ideology and the Second Party System".Historian.62 (1):17–44.doi:10.1111/j.1540-6563.1999.tb01431.x.in QuestiaArchived 2011-06-04 at theWayback Machine
• Holt, Michael F. (1992).Political Parties and American Political Development: From the Age of Jackson to the Age of Lincoln. Louisiana State University Press.ISBN 978-0807126097.
• Howe, Daniel Walker (2009).What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848. Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0195392432.
• McCormick, Richard P. (1966).The Second American Party System: Party Formation in the Jacksonian Era. University of North Carolina Press.ISBN 9780807809778.
• Parsons, Lynn H. (2009).The Birth of Modern Politics: Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and the Election of 1828. Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0195312874.
• Wilentz, Sean (2006).The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln. W. W. Norton & Company.ISBN 978-0393329216.

• Michael Holt,The Second American Party SystemArchived 2006-08-31 at theWayback Machine, short topical essays
• "The Campaign of 1840: William Henry Harrison and Tyler, Too"Archived 2010-11-22 at theWayback Machine high school level lesson plans and documents

• Politics of the United States
• 19th century in the United States

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