With the collapse of the Federalist party and the end of the Congressional Caucus nomination system, there were four main Democratic-Republican candidates running for president in 1824. They were: William H. Crawford (secretary to the treasury and the ‘official’ candidate to replace Monroe); Henry Clay (speaker of the House of... More
By the 1820s, great changes were convulsing the country. New factories were opened, particularly in New England, and an urban working class was emerging. New states such as Ohio adopted the Constitution, which extended the vote to all white adult males. Expansion of the franchise still had far to go,... More
The election of 1832 saw Andrew Jackson opposed by Republican Henry Clay, in his second bid for presidency, and William Wirt, candidate for the Anti-Masonic party. The first ‘third-party’ election, this was also the first time that candidates were chosen by national nominating conventions, rather than congressional caucus or state... More
The election of 1836 was unusual because the Whig party – formed of various anti-Jackson factions including the National Republican party and the Anti-Masonic party – put forward four nominees to stand against the Democratic nominee, Martin Van Buren. These Whig candidates – William Henry Harrison (former Ohio senator and... More
While Martin Van Burren was nominated to run for a second term in office (with Richard Johnson as running mate), the Whig party chose William Henry Harrison (over Henry Clay) with John Tyler as their candidate for vice president. With the two-party political system firmly in place, the opposing campaigns... More
In 1844 the key election issues were territorial expansion, especially the annexation of Texas. Thousands of Americans poured westward to create new lives for themselves and to fulfil the national ambition to own the continent. When the Democratic party held their convention in Baltimore on 27 May they nominated James... More
James Polk had promised to serve just one term as president and, during those four years, achieved his objectives: to re-establish the independent treasury system, lower the tariff, settle the Oregon-boundary dispute and acquire California. Further land acquisition followed the end of the Mexico-American War and a treaty with Great... More
Both the Whig party and the Democratic party were facing internal divisions over slavery – particularly after the Compromise of 1850, a series of resolutions that sought to defuse the growing crisis – and the election of 1852 would be the last for the Whigs. After failure to nominate a... More
With a backdrop of political realignment and bitter disputes, the election of 1856 saw the first presidential candidate for the anti-slavery Republican party with John C. Frémont, a Californian senator who had spoken out against the Kansas-Nebraska act (allowing slave-ownership within those states) and supported measures to curb slavery. The... More
As the United States expanded westward so did the issue of slavery. Southerners, forbidden to enter the Union with slaves, felt politically disadvantaged. In 1854 the Republican party was born in order to combat the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which proposed to extend slavery into the territories. Its aims were also to... More
As the Civil War raged on, the election of 1864 included only the states that had not seceded from the Union. The war had lasted longer than expected, there was division within the Republican party over slavery, disagreements over civil liberties and, in the North, voters were disheartened by Lincoln’s... More
The election of 1868 took place during Reconstruction, the turbulent years after the Civil War. Andrew Johnson – the 17th president following the assassination of Lincoln, who was subsequently impeached – failed to be nominated as Democratic candidate. After many failed ballots, politician Horatio Seymour ran for president, offering a... More