AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: End of the Second Party System (Day 134/309)

Hey APUSHers, let’s chat about the End of the Second Party System as part of my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

Second Party System, Wikipedia

The Second Party System is a term used to describe the time from 1828 to 1854 in which there was an increase in American political engagement and the rise of two distinct political parties.

Election of 1852, 270towin

However, in the 1850s, Democrats and Whigs were weakened by the controversy over slavery. The election of 1852 was the last presidential election for the Whig Party.

Conspectus of American Politics, Smithsonian

New parties were established and often focused on a single issue. The Free-Soil Party opposed the expansion of slavery. The Know-Nothing Party was nativist and anti-Catholic. The Constitutional Union Party was opposed to secession.

Fremont, Republican Candidate 1856, Library of Congress

The strongest new party to emerge was the Republican Party. It coalesced free-soilers, antislavery Whigs and Democrats, abolitionists, and Northerners. While not an abolitionist party, Republicans did oppose the expansion of slavery.

The end of the Second Party System occurred as the major parties were divided over the issue of slavery and several new political parties emerged- most significantly, the Republican Party

Join me tomorrow as I explain the Election of 1860 in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!