Rise Of The Whig Party

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Rise of the Whig Party Jackson's strong personality and controversial ways incited the development of an opposition party, the Whigs. Their name echoes British history, In Great Britain, the Whigs were the party opposed to a strong monarch. By calling themselves Whigs, Jackson's enemies labeled him a king. And they held firm in their opposition to "King Andrew" and his hated policies. During this period (1820-1850), more offices became elective, voter restrictions were reduced or eliminated (for white male adults), and popular participation in politics increased. The Democratic Party, led by Jackson, appealed to this growing body of voters by stressing its belief in rotation in office, economy in government, governmental response to popular demands, and decentralization of power. The two parties were different from each other in their philosophies, constituencies, and in the character of their leaders. In the mid-1830's opposition began growing on "King Andrew I". The Whigs were a major political party between 1834 and the 1850s, unified by their opposition to Andrew Jackson and their support for federal policies to aid business. The party was strongest among the merchants and manufacturers of the Northeast, the wealthy planters of the South, New Englanders, middle class urban professionals, and the farmers of the West most eager for internal improvements, expanding trade and rapid economic progress. Whiggery favored Clay’s American System (national bank, high tariff, internal improvements) expanding the power of the federal government, encouraging industrial and commercial development, and knitting the country together into a consolidated economic system. They were also cautious about westward expansion, fearful that rapid territorial growth would produce instability. Whigs seeked a nation embracing the industrial future and rising to world greatness as a
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