Third Party Necessity continued

The importance of the third party is best seen in the Civil War, but before we examine that point, let us look at the election of Andrew Jackson first.

The 1824 election had only one party, and the party nominated John Quincy Adams, a Nationalist. The anti-federalist were not going to sit for this, and John C. Calhoun threw his name into the hat, as did a Southern Federalist named Crawford. Henry Clay, a lesser Nationalist also ran in 1824. Just to make the race even more interesting Andrew Jackson a Federalist was nominated by some friends at the Tennessee state convention. The one party had told people to vote for Adams, the people had listened when they put forth James Monroe twice. Yet, this time the people voted the way they felt rather than the way their were told by their party. Calhoun bowed out before election day accepting the only Vice Presidential nomination instead. He threw his support to Andrew Jackson, the next alliance of the anti-Federalists, and Jackson won the popular vote and the electoral count, but because Crawford and Clay also grabbed electoral votes, it went to the House where Adams was made President. Jackson went on to create the Democratic Party, which still exists today, and the National Republican party of Adams disappeared after two Jackson victories in 28 and 32, along with his Vice President, Martin Van Buren winning in 36. The electorate disregarded the party and while losing the actual election, created a party that rode into power easily in four years.

The three way ideological split is easily seen in the Civil War’s three great Senators.
William Seward was the Nationalist who favored banning slavery from the territories and viewed military struggle with the South as inevitable.
Stephen Douglas was the Federalist who favored the rights of those living in the Territories to decide the question not the federal government.
Jefferson Davis was the anti-Federalist who viewed the territories as belonging to the States in general; thus, slaves could be taken into any territory and only when the territory became a state did it have the right to settle the slavery question.

Both the Whig and the Democrats were alliances between these ideologies, and the existence of third parties like the Free Soil showed the discontent of the Nationalists. The Free Soil party merged with the Know-Nothings and gained some unhappy Whigs like Seward and made the Republican Party. This was a completely nationalist party. The first election for the Republicans showed their strength in 1856 even though they lost the election. By 1858 they had control of the House of Representatives, and in 1860 they won the Presidential election. They replaced the Whig Party which died out because it would not take a stand. Thus, one ideological group left and voted for a party more in line with its thinking, and it won out. The same can be said of the Democratic Party. It put forth a Federalist, Stephen Douglas and the anti-Federalist group walked out. They put forth John Beckonridge, and they finished second. The Federalist finished last because the leftover Federalist Whigs failed to support Douglas and put forth John Bell as a Constitutional Union candidate. The Federalist party failed to find a place to stand and thus with the Nationalists in control of the North and the anti-Federalist controlling the South it ended in bloodshed.

The third party point in all of this is that people voted their conscious and major changes ended up occurring. It may have taken many years to actually achieve a victory, but victory was achieved. The Free Soil party had been around for decades, and finally enough people saw their point, and voted with them to win the Presidency. It should be noted that Abraham Lincoln was not on the ballot in every state because the Republican Party was a regional party. Yet, people voted for them anyway, and victory came. If people had the attitude of you need to be on every ballot Lincoln would have lost and slavery might still exist in Utah. Principle was more important the electability. Voting for principles beginning the process with the Free Soil Party, ended up changing the face of America forever. A point well worth remembering when trying to decide where to cast your vote.