America's second two-party political system between the Democrats and the Whigs began during Andrew Jackson's Presidential terms. This two-party system was forged between Jackson's Democratic party, and John Quincy Adams Whig party in the 1830s (Pg. 208). The Democratic party believed it was important to keep the federal government lesser in size, coinciding with Jackson's belief of not having government intervention become common, as well as less control and power. Our book notes that there were two groups divided in American society, those who worked physically through farming or labor for their money, versus economically based jobs such as bankers and financial management. This division in American society did not prevent President Andrew Jackson from continuing to expand the United States further west (Pg. 208). The Democratic political party forged further west in expansion, not only through Andrew Jackson, but through James K. Polk and Martin Van Buren (Pg. 208). The Whig Party preferred a larger federal government and believed that the American government should have significant power, and the ability to allocate funds to create railroads and physical improvements to benefit the United States as whole. The Whig Party also believed that alcohol consumption should be limited, in order to care for civilians health, and due to religious reasons as well. Temperance laws limiting alcohol, being against slavery, and embracing capitalism were all major factors that was supported by Adam's and his party. Economic attributes such as large banks being in control, and developing large businesses in support of capitalism, were a few of the many things that the Whig Party supported and believed in (Pg. 208). The most notorious individuals involved in this party include William Henry Harrison, Daniel Webster, and Henry Clay (Pg. 208). These two parties were often supported by one of the two divided groups in the American Population, being that the farmers typically supported the Democratic party and were against big business, believing that large businesses having a monopoly on certain commercial areas was not to be commonplace. The population that supported the Democratic party often believed that it was the small working class farmers and individual business owners, against large businesses and companies trying to further their monopolization of commercial areas of the American economy. Those who supported the Democratic party weren't extremely rich, or extremely poor, typically labeled as the middle class. The Whig Party was strong in their belief that economic growth and expansion would heavily benefit the American population as a whole, not just high-up business owners. This party was made up of businessmen, larger farmers who needed help with transportation, civilians who believed economic growth and stimulation was extremely important, and those who believed being able to take out loans through a central bank would be a large net positive for themselves and those who chose to use it (Pg. 209). Those who were not in favor or large amounts of Irish Catholic immigration taking place also aligned with the Whig Party. If you believed in large economic expansion, you were likely in support of the Whig Party, who's popularity grew to significant numbers towards the end of the 1830s (Pg. 209). President William Henry Harrison supported the Whig Party, and with his successful election, provided proof that much of America's population was aligned with Whig Party beliefs. Due to the successful creation of this two-party system, tensions between northerners and southerners largely subsided, because both groups who lived in the north and south were apart of both parties, it was not just northerners supporting one party, but a mix. Both Parties did not discuss slavery as a topic of interest, in order to resist civil tension between both groups (Pg. 210). Although slavery not being a common topic early on in the development of the two-party political system, it became extremely significant when westward expansion involved slavery, culminating with the beginning of the civil war (Pg. 210). Creating this two-party political system was important when it came to political development for the future of the United States, but it came with a large cost due to eventually involving major sectional conflict (Pg. 209).
