Conspectus of the History of Political Parties and the Federal Government/Descriptive
Descriptive.
The design of this work is to present the outlines of American political and governmental history, from Colonial days to the present time. For this purpose, two folding charts, a series of political and fiscal maps and plates, historical articles and tables, and party platforms are employed.
In the front and at the back of the “Conspectus” will be found the two following charts spoken of. The one in front we will call
THE POLITICAL DIAGRAM.
In this chart, the outline history of the parties is shown by colored streams, represented as flowing from the left to the right. The name of a political organization appears upon the color which designates the party. When the history of a party begins, the color begins; when its history closes, the color disappears. After each name the word party is understood. The dates at the extremities of a color mark the beginning and the close of the history of a party; for instance, the old Whig party began in 1776, and closed in 1787. That out of which a party was organized and that into which it merged are readily seen by inspection. Take, for example, the Tory party, which sprang from colonial sentiment, and, in 1783, merged into the Whig party. The origin of the Federal and Anti-Federal parties is prominently shown. The words proceeding from the stream for a party represent the issues of that party. The issue is located at the date when the party began advocating it; for instance, the Constitution in 1787 was advocated by the Federal party. In 1791, the Anti-Federal party was called the Democratic-Republican party. When a party is in power, it appears above the streams for the other parties. The Federal party was in power from the beginning of Washington’s administration till the beginning of Jefferson’s. In 1801, the Democratic-Republican party obtained control of the government. In Monroe’s administration, the Federal party, having been overborne and conquered in several Presidential campaigns, ceased to maintain itself as a separate political organization, and melted away, the major portion of its membership going into the Democratic-Republican party; then occurred the “Era of Good Feeling.”
The mysterious disappearance of William Morgan, a New York state freemason, in September, 1826, and the excitement arising therefrom, resulted, in 1827, in the formation of a political organization, known in history as the Anti-Masonic party.
In 1828, the supporters of John Quincy Adams separated themselves from the Democratic-Republican party, and styled themselves the National Republican party. The supporters of Andrew Jackson, the same year, dropped the latter part of their former party-title, and became then and afterwards known as the Democratic party.
In 1831, a schism occurred in the Democratic party, under the leadership of John C. Calhoun, the representative and champion of “states-rights” sentiment, which had its origin in South Carolina; this faction received the name of the Nullification party.
The opponents of President Jackson and his administration combined, in the year 1834, as a political organization, to which was given the name of the Whig party; the National Republican party was, naturally, the main constituent of this new organization, but it received large accessions from the Anti-Masonic and Nullification parties, and many adherents from the Democratic party itself.
In 1833, the National Anti-Slavery Society was formed; in 1839, a portion of the membership of that Society gave that organization a political form, and became distinguished as the “Garrisonians” or Abolition party. The following year (1840), a constitutional anti-slavery party, styled the Liberty party, was formed, into which most of the Abolitionists entered. With change of name, by an offshoot called the Liberty League, in 1845, and joined by the Free-Soil Democrats of New York, styled “Barnburners,” these several anti-slavery parties, in 1848, were called the Free-Soil party.
In 1848, also, the New York division of the Democratic party, which had borne the name of “Hunkers” from 1843, dropped that distinguishing title, and became as one with the old association.
The Native American party was organized in 1843, and the Silver Grays in 1850.
In 1854, a combination of Anti-Nebraska Democrats, Whigs, Americans, and Free-Soilers opposed Pierce’s administration, under the designation of “Anti-Nebraska” or the “Fusion” ticket. At this time the Republican party was organized in some of the states; it became a National party in 1856. The same year, a part of the Americans, calling themselves North Americans, joined the Republican party. This party gained the ascendency in 1860, and the following year was joined by a portion of the Constitutional Unionists, who had formed a party the preceding year out of the disbanded American party.
The Democratic party was in power from 1853 till the inauguration of Lincoln. This party was dismembered in 1860. The Breckinridge wing, of the south, entered the Confederacy; the Douglas wing supported the Union; a portion from each section joined the Republican party.
The Liberal Republicans, in 1872, united with the Democracy, and nominated Horace Greeley. This ticket was not satisfactory to a number of Democrats. These, calling themselves “Straight-Outs,” met at Louisville, Kentucky, and nominated O’Conor.
The Temperance party, organized in 1872, was called the Prohibition party in 1876.
The Labor party, originating in trade-unions, was formed in 1872.
Out of the Granger organization grew, in part, the National (Greenback) party.
The Tammany Democrats, and Independent Republicans, or “Scratchers,” of New York, are represented; and below is seen the National Liberal party, organized at Cincinnati, in September, 1879, under the lead of Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll.
Every issue that a party has advocated is presented prominently to the eye. The issues of a platform appear in groups. Take, for instance, the platform of the Free-Soil party in 1848, and note the leading thoughts therein. An issue is attached to a party only once.
Along the upper edge of the “Political Diagram” will be found the names of the Presidents from time to time at the head of the Federal government. Vertical lines, springing from year figures, divide the party history given in the Diagram into Administration epochs.
Arranged between the Administration-epoch lines, along the lower edge of this folding chart, will be found the names of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates, with the number of electoral and popular votes by them severally received; also, the political complexions of the two Houses of Congress.
At the back of this work, as has been stated, will be found an outline history of the
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
At the left is an analysis, giving its divisions and subdivisions. To the right of this is a classification of the administrations from the time of Washington to the present. The colors show the politics of each administration. But five parties have had control of the Federal government—the Federal, the Democratic-Republican, the Democratic, the Whig, and the modern Republican. The dates at the top show the beginning and close of the administrations. From these dates, vertical lines extend through the chart. The history of an administration is located between two lines. At the top of the space, included between two of these lines, is seen the name of a President, below which are Federal officers, consisting of his Cabinet, Judges of the Supreme Court, the Vice-President, and the Speaker of the House. The position which each officer occupied is shown by the analysis on the left. The time each official was in office is shown by the dates; for instance, John Marshall was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1801 to 1835. Below the list of government officials are given all the important congressional events that occurred during each administration.
Commencing with page 7 and ending with page 32 is a
“CONSPECTUS” OF POLITICAL HISTORY.
Here is shown, in concise and comprehensive paragraphs, arranged under Administration-headings, the history and status of each political party then in existence, with an explanation and discussion of concurrent party issues; the causes which led to their adoption; why new parties were formed or old ones revived, and why dissolved; the measures they supported and the political principles they espoused— thus furnishing a connected history of American political parties, from their rise to the present day.
The next subject-division is headed
PLATFORMS OF THE POLITICAL PARTIES.
This contains the resolutions and platforms of the political associations which have sprung up and flourished in this country, either in weakness or in strength, beginning with extracts from the celebrated and historical Kentucky and Virginia resolutions of 1798, and ending with the party platforms of 1880. No other publication contains, in its entirety, this important political historical feature.
Next follow a series of
POLITICAL AND FISCAL MAPS AND PLATES,
Which contain a large amount of complementary information.
First, is a Political Map of the United States. If a District has a Republican representative in Congress, it is colored Red; if the representative is Democratic, the District is colored Yellow.
The next plate is a Fiscal Chart, showing the relative amount of the revenue, debt, and expenditures of the Federal government. The explanations below show what each color indicates. Bordering the diagram for Revenue are figures, giving for each year the amount of the revenue. This amount is represented to the eye by colors. Take, for example, the revenue for 1815. The revenue for that year was fifteen million seven hundred thousand dollars. Of this amount as much was from customs as the length of the yellow on the space for the year is to the full length of the space across the column. In like manner, the Expenditures are indicated to the eye. The central column shows most vividly the difference between the amount of the debt in the time of Jackson, and that which the government sustained at the close of the civil war.
The next plate gives the Politics of the States according to the politics of the Governors. This is made clear by the explanation attached below.
In like manner, another plate gives the Politics of the States according to their votes for President.
The other plates are interesting as matters of reference, et cetera.
The last map of this series shows the
ACQUISITION OF TERRITORY, AND ITS DISTRIBUTION AMONG POLITICAL DIVISIONS.
Bordering the Fiscal Chart will be found the full text of the
VIRGINIA RESOLUTIONS OF 1798,
An extract from which is given on page 33. And on the sides of the next following plate is printed the full text of the
KENTUCKY RESOLUTIONS OF 1798.
The closing printed matter of this work is a
TABLE OF GOVERNORS,
Arranged under state headings, giving the names of the gubernatorial incumbents, and the dates of their office holding.