Whig Party

Whig Party Beliefs

Anti-Jacksonian: The most influential view that impacts all the other platform policies is opposition to most policies and practices of the presidency of Andrew Jackson. As an opposition party, the Whigs looked to block or proposed alternative policies to Jackson’s administration.

Policy

What did it do?

How did it oppose Andrew Jackson?

Economic Nationalism

An economic policy that favors the government's intervention for domestic control of the economy to achieve nationalist goals.

Jackson was firmly in favor of laisse-faire policies that removed any government intervention in the economy. Economic nationalism requires government intervention to control the revenue needed for government projects and policies.

The American System

Connected to Economic Nationalism, the American system was a collection of economic policies that promoted industrial economic growth, protectionist tariffs, the expansion of the National Bank's powers and raise revenue to build infrastructures such as roads and canals.

As mentioned above, Jackson opposed any government interaction in the market and any expansion of federal power. The American system required federal government control to raise revenue for infrastructure projects and wanted to increase the power of the National Bank.

Parliamentarianism

The political belief that the representative or legislative body of a government should and ought to be the most powerful entity in a government.

Jackson expanded the power of the presidency during his terms by ignoring Supreme Court orders, using executive orders, and the military to enact his policies if they did not have the support of Congress.

Whig Party Presidents

President:

Term:

Important Facts:

William Henry Harrison

Fig. 3 President William Henry Harrison

1841

• The first Whig President, Harrison defeated Van Buren on policies to restore the national bank, federal land distribution, and increased tariffs.

• Harrison’s Vice President was John Tyler

• Harrison died in office only a month into his presidency.

John Tyler

Fig. 4 President John Tyler

1841-1845

• Though he ran as a Whig, Tyler was sympathetic to many Democratic policies and supported those policies in congress.

• Tyler’s support of the Democrats led to his expulsion from the Whig Party and Henry Clay earning the nomination as Whig presidential candidate in 1844.

• Clay would lose to Democrat James Polk.

Zachary Taylor

Fig. 5 President Zachary Taylor

1849-1850

• Taylor rose to prominence as a General during the Mexican-American war during the Polk Administration.

• Taylor was sympathetic to Whig party views and won the nomination as president for the Whigs in 1848.

• His main political ambition was to reduce the sectionalism spreading across the country over the issue of slavery.

• Taylor died in office in 1850.

Millard Fillmore

Fig. 6 President Millard Fillmore

1850-1853

• Takes over the Presidency following Taylor’s death.

• Attempted to adopt policies from Taylor to ease tensions over slavery, such as the Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Act.