The Origins of the Democratic Party
Today’s Democratic Party traces its history to 1828, making it the oldest existing political party in the country. The party has its origins in the First Party System, which consisted of the Federalists and Republicans. By the 1810s, the Republicans had begun calling themselves the Democratic-Republicans. Going into the 1820s, the Democratic-Republicans were the only party in the United States, as the Federalists effectively ceased to exist after about 1815.
The presidential election of 1824 was one of the most contentious in American history and led to the formation of the modern Democratic Party. Four candidates from the Democratic-Republican Party ran against each other: Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, William Crawford, and Henry Clay. Jackson, a hero from the War of 1812, won the popular vote but did not get a majority, meaning that the election outcome had to be determined by the House of Representatives. Henry Clay, who received the fewest votes and was thus out of the running, was Speaker of the House. He used his influence to get John Quincy Adams elected, and once in the White House, Adams named Clay Secretary of State, prompting many Americans to claim that a “corrupt bargain” was made between the two. Supporters of Jackson, who won more of the popular vote than either man, were outraged, believing that the election was stolen.
The fallout from the election prompted Martin Van Buren, a senator from New York and protégé of Jackson, to form a new political organization, the Democratic Party, to support Jackson. In 1828, both Jackson and Adams ran again, and Jackson won the presidency. But the deep tensions from the disputed 1824 election persisted.
Those ongoing tensions and Jackson’s handling of the Bank of the United States during his second term eventually led to a split in the party and the creation of a Second Party System: Democrats and Whigs. The Democratic Party was largely shaped in the image of Jackson. Like its patron saint, the party appealed to the “common man” and had much support among the urban working class and farmers, and later, among Southern planters. The Whig Party essentially grew out of opposition to Jackson, whom Whigs believed had abused his power by defunding the Bank of the United States. Even the logo of the Democratic Party, the donkey, reportedly originates from the Democrat-Whig split; Whigs often referred to Jackson as a “jackass,” and far from repudiating the image, Jackson and his followers embraced it.
Jackson’s popularity was such that the party could capitalize on his name and memory even after his death. For much of the mid-1800s, the Democratic Party was the party to beat; from 1828 to 1856, the party won all but two presidential elections. It would not face a serious, ongoing threat from a rival party until the emergence, in 1854, of the Republican Party.
The presidential election of 1824 was one of the most contentious in American history and led to the formation of the modern Democratic Party. Four candidates from the Democratic-Republican Party ran against each other: Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, William Crawford, and Henry Clay. Jackson, a hero from the War of 1812, won the popular vote but did not get a majority, meaning that the election outcome had to be determined by the House of Representatives. Henry Clay, who received the fewest votes and was thus out of the running, was Speaker of the House. He used his influence to get John Quincy Adams elected, and once in the White House, Adams named Clay Secretary of State, prompting many Americans to claim that a “corrupt bargain” was made between the two. Supporters of Jackson, who won more of the popular vote than either man, were outraged, believing that the election was stolen.
The fallout from the election prompted Martin Van Buren, a senator from New York and protégé of Jackson, to form a new political organization, the Democratic Party, to support Jackson. In 1828, both Jackson and Adams ran again, and Jackson won the presidency. But the deep tensions from the disputed 1824 election persisted.
Those ongoing tensions and Jackson’s handling of the Bank of the United States during his second term eventually led to a split in the party and the creation of a Second Party System: Democrats and Whigs. The Democratic Party was largely shaped in the image of Jackson. Like its patron saint, the party appealed to the “common man” and had much support among the urban working class and farmers, and later, among Southern planters. The Whig Party essentially grew out of opposition to Jackson, whom Whigs believed had abused his power by defunding the Bank of the United States. Even the logo of the Democratic Party, the donkey, reportedly originates from the Democrat-Whig split; Whigs often referred to Jackson as a “jackass,” and far from repudiating the image, Jackson and his followers embraced it.
Jackson’s popularity was such that the party could capitalize on his name and memory even after his death. For much of the mid-1800s, the Democratic Party was the party to beat; from 1828 to 1856, the party won all but two presidential elections. It would not face a serious, ongoing threat from a rival party until the emergence, in 1854, of the Republican Party.