Contrast: Whigs and Democrats

Contrast: Whigs and Democrats

In the early to mid 1800’s there were two major political parties. The Whigs led by John Quincy Adams and the Democrats led by Andrew Jackson. The Whigs got there name from the name for the Patriots of the American Revolution who were called “Whigs”. The Democrats got there name from the Jeffersonian Republicans.

What these parties had in common? It’s not a lot but to start they were very strong parties and they did not like each other very much. They were united in a common goal though and that was to achieve a prosperous U.S.. That’s really about all I can think of but that’s a good thing because if you have two political parties wanting the same thing but with different candidates then you will never get anything done.

These parties were different in many ways. For example, the Whigs were a party for modernization and the Democrats were a party for American tradition. Democrats also were against banks and corporations while the Whigs favored using federal funds to improve the country. The Democrats wanted to expand the country as quickly as possible by acquiring land through war or purchase. The Whigs on the other hand strongly opposed war and wanted a gradual gathering of land. The Whigs wanted internal growth while the Democrats wanted external growth. The Democrats wanted a more agrarian and rural America that focused on farming mainly. While the Whigs supported American industry, urban growth and free labor. The Whigs