HistoricalTimelineofImportantPoliticalPartiesintheUnitedStates

1789-FederalistParty

TheFederalistParty,referredtoasthePro-Administrationpartyuntilthe3rdUnitedStatesCongress,wasthefirstAmericanpoliticalparty.Itexistedfrom1789to1820.Itappealedtobusinessandtoconservativeswhofavoredbanks,nationaloverstategovernment,manufacturing,and(inworldaffairs)preferredBritainandopposedtheFrenchRevolution.

TheFederalistscalledforastrongnationalgovernmentthatpromotedeconomicgrowthandfosteredfriendlyrelationshipswithGreatBritainaswellasoppositionto

revolutionaryFrance.Thepartycontrolledthefederalgovernmentuntil1801,whenitwasoverwhelmedbytheDemocratic-RepublicanoppositionledbyThomasJefferson.1792-Democratic-RepublicanParty

TheDemocratic-RepublicanPartywasanAmericanpoliticalpartyformedbyThomasJeffersonandJamesMadisonaround1792toopposethecentralizingpoliciesofthenewFederalistPartyrunbyAlexanderHamilton,whowassecretaryofthetreasuryandchiefarchitectofGeorgeWashington'sadministration.From1801to1825,thenewpartycontrolledthepresidencyandCongressaswellasmoststatesduringtheFirstPartySystem.Itbeganin1791asonefactioninCongressandincludedmanypoliticianswhohadbeenopposedtothenewconstitution.Theycalledthemselves"Republicans"aftertheirideology,

republicanism.Theydistrusted theFederalistcommitmentto republicanism.1828–DemocraticParty

TheDemocraticPartyisoneofthetwomajorcontemporarypoliticalpartiesintheUnitedStates,alongwiththeRepublicanParty.TracingitsheritagebacktoThomasJeffersonandJamesMadison'sDemocratic-RepublicanParty,themodern-dayDemocraticPartywasfoundedaround1828bysupportersofAndrewJackson,makingit theworld's oldestactivepoliticalparty.TheDemocrats'dominantworldviewwasoncesocial

conservatismandeconomicliberalismwhilepopulismwasitsleadingcharacteristicintheruralSouth.In1912,TheodoreRooseveltranasathird-partycandidateintheProgressive"BullMoose"Party,leadingtoaswitchofpoliticalplatformsbetweentheDemocraticandRepublicanPartyandWoodrowWilsonbeingelectedasthefirstfiscallyprogressiveDemocrat.SinceFranklinD.RooseveltandhisNewDealcoalitioninthe1930s,theDemocraticPartyhasalsopromotedasocialliberalplatform,supportingsocialjustice.1830–WhigParty

TheWhigPartywasapoliticalpartyactiveinthemiddleofthe19thcenturyintheUnitedStates.FourU.S.Presidentsbelongedtothepartywhileinoffice.Itemergedinthe1830sastheleadingopponentoftheJacksonians.IthadlinkstotheupscaletraditionsoftheFederalistParty.AlongwiththerivalDemocraticParty,itwascentraltotheSecondPartySystemfromtheearly1840stothemid-1860s.Formedinoppositiontothe

policiesofPresidentAndrewJackson,theWhigssupportedthesupremacyoftheUnitedStatesCongressoverthepresidencyandfavoredaprogramofmodernization,bankingandeconomicprotectionismtostimulatemanufacturing.1848–FreeSoilParty

TheFreeSoilPartywasashort-livedpoliticalpartyintheUnitedStatesactiveinthe1848and1852presidentialelectionsaswellasinsomestateelections.Asingle-issueparty,itsmainpurposewastoopposetheexpansionofslaveryintotheWesternterritories,arguingthatfreemenonfreesoilconstitutedamorallyandeconomicallysuperiorsystemtoslavery.ItalsosometimesworkedtoremoveexistinglawsthatdiscriminatedagainstfreedAfricanAmericansin statessuchasOhio.

ThepartyoriginatedinNewYorkafterthestateDemocraticconventionrefusedtoendorsetheWilmotProviso,aproposedlawthatwouldhavebannedslaveryinanyterritoryacquiredfromMexicointheMexican–American

War.

1854–RepublicanPartyTheRepublicanParty,alsoreferredtoastheGOP(abbreviationforGrandOldParty),isoneofthetwomajorpoliticalpartiesintheUnitedStates,theotherbeingitshistoricrival,theDemocraticParty.Thepartyisnamedafterrepublicanism,amajorideologyoftheAmericanRevolution.TheRepublicanslargelydominatedpoliticsnationallyandinthemajorityofnorthernstatesbetween1860 and1932.FoundedintheNorthernstatesin1854byanti-slaveryactivists,modernizers,ex-Whigsandex-FreeSoilers,theRepublicanPartyquicklybecametheprincipaloppositiontothedominantDemocraticPartyandthebrieflypopularKnowNothingParty.ThemaincausewasoppositiontotheKansas–NebraskaAct,whichrepealedtheMissouriCompromisebywhichslaverywaskeptoutofKansas.TheNorthernRepublicanssaw

theexpansionofslaveryasagreatevil.1869–ProhibitionParty

TheProhibitionParty,foundedin1869,succeededingettingcommunitiesandmanycountiesinthestatestooutlawtheproductionandsaleofintoxicatingbeverages.Itsproudestmomentcamein1919,withthepassageofthe18thAmendmenttotheUnitedStatesConstitution,whichoutlawedtheproduction,sale,transportation,importandexportofalcohol.

TheeraduringwhichalcoholwasillegalintheUnitedStatesisknownas"Prohibition".WhileitdeclineddramaticallyaftertherepealofProhibitionin1933,itisstillfunctioningtodayandistheoldestexistingthirdpartyintheUS.Theparty'scandidatereceived518votesinthe2012presidentialelectionand5,617votesinthe2016presidentialelection.1901–SocialistParty

TheSocialistPartyofAmerica(SPA)wasamulti-tendencydemocraticsocialistandsocialdemocraticpoliticalpartyintheUnitedStatesformedin1901byamergerbetweenthethree-year-oldSocialDemocraticPartyofAmericaanddisaffectedelementsoftheSocialistLaborPartyofAmericawhichhadsplitfromthemainorganizationin1899.

Inthefirstdecadesofthe20thcentury,itdrewsignificantsupportfrommanydifferentgroups,includingtradeunionists,progressivesocialreformers,populistfarmersandimmigrants.However,itrefusedtoformcoalitionswithotherparties,oreventoallowitsmemberstovoteforotherparties.Itscandidate,EugeneV.Debs,twicewonover900,000votesinpresidentialelections(1912and1920).1912-ProgressiveParty

TheProgressivePartywasathirdpartyintheUnitedStatesformedin1912byformerPresidentTheodoreRooseveltafterhelostthepresidentialnominationoftheRepublicanPartytohisformerprotégé,incumbentPresidentWilliamHowardTaft.Thenewpartywasknownfortakingadvancedpositionsonprogressivereformsandattractingsome

leadingreformers.Aftertheparty'sdefeatinthe1912presidentialelection,itwentintorapiddecline,disappearingby1918.TheProgressivePartywaspopularlynicknamedthe"BullMooseParty"sinceRooseveltoftensaidthathefelt"strongasabullmoose"bothbeforeandafteran assassinationattemptonthecampaigntrail.1919–CommunistParty

TheCommunistPartyUSAisacommunistpartyintheUnitedStates,establishedin1919,afterasplitintheSocialistPartyofAmerica. TheCPUSAhasalong,complexhistorythatiscloselytiedwiththeAmericanlabormovementandthehistoriesofcommunistpartiesworldwide.ThepartywasinfluentialinAmericanpoliticsinthefirsthalfofthe20thcenturyandplayedaprominentroleinthelabormovementfromthe1920sthroughthe1940s,becomingknownforopposingracismandracialsegregation.Its membershipincreasedduringtheGreatDepression,buttheCPUSAsubsequentlydeclinedduetoeventssuchasthesecondRedScareandthe

influenceofMcCarthyismwhileitssupportfortheSovietUnionincreasinglyalienateditfromtherestoftheleftintheUnitedStatesinthe1960s.

1936–AmericanLaborParty

TheAmericanLaborParty(ALP)wasapoliticalpartyintheUnitedStatesestablishedin1936whichwasactivealmostexclusivelyinthestateofNewYork.TheorganizationwasfoundedbylaborleadersandformermembersoftheSocialistPartyofAmericawhohadestablishedthemselvesastheSocialDemocraticFederation(SDF).ThepartywasintendedtoparalleltheroleoftheBritishLabourParty,servingasanumbrellaorganizationtouniteNewYorksocialdemocratsoftheSDFwithtradeunionistswhowouldotherwisesupportcandidatesoftheRepublicanandDemocraticparties.

1944–LiberalPartyofNewYork

TheLiberalPartyofNewYorkisanAmericanpoliticalpartythathasbeenactiveonlyinthestateofNewYork.Itsplatformsupportsasetofsociallyliberalpoliciesincludingtherighttochooseonabortion,educationreform,anduniversalhealthcare.Duringthe1940’sand1950’stheLiberalPartypioneeredlocalandnational

legislationsuchastheG.I.BillofRights,rentcontrolinNewYorkCity,andconsumerprotectionlaws,amongothers.Duringthe1960’stheLiberalPartychampionedtheCivilRightsActandinitiatedasuitintheU.S.SupremeCourtforCongressionalReapportionmentthatresultedintheelectionofShirleyChisholm,thenation’sfirstAfrican-Americancongresswoman.1966-BlackPantherParty

TheBlackPantherPartywasananti-racistleftistpartyfoundedbyHueyNewtoninthe1960’sandbestknownasapowerfulforceinthecivilrightsandBlackPowermovements.Itshouldnotbeconfused

with themoderndayNewBlackPantherPartywhichmembersofthe originalorganizationlargelyrenounce.DespiteawidelyheldbeliefamongmanythattheBlackPantherPartywereviolent,historicallytheyimplementedawidevarietyofsocialwelfareprogramsin

impoverishedneighborhoodsinthecountry’slargestcities.Stillanissuetoday,theywerefoundedinitiallytoaddresstopolicebrutalityagainstblackAmericans(specificallyinOakland,CA,thecityfromwhichthemovementspread)bysendingarmedgroupsofmembersouttowatchforsignsofabusebythepoliceagainsttheirfellowcitizens.1971–LibertarianParty

TheLibertarianPartyisanideologicallyprominent(ifnotelectorallyprominent)partybasedontheideaofindividuallibertyaboveall.Inpractice,thismeanstheysupportsmallgovernmentandalaissez-fairecapitalisteconomyandareagainsttaxesandregulationsonbusinesses.

TheirversionofclassicalliberalismremainspopulartodayamongstaunchproponentsoftheSecondAmendmentandmarijuanausers-infact,despitethefactthatithasnoelectoralpowerincongress,itisthethirdlargestpartyinAmericatoday.1992–ConstitutionParty

OriginallycalledtheUSTaxpayers’Party,theConstitutionPartyisaconservativepartythatsupportsstrictconstitutionalism-

thatis,thattheUSconstitutionisadocumentthatshouldbefollowedtotheletterandremainasunalteredaspossible.They

believethatanypowersnotspecificallydelineatedinsaiddocumentasdesignatedtothefederalgovernmentshouldleft

to statesorindividuals.They aresimilarinphilosophytolibertariansbuttheywerefoundedwithChristianprinciplesinmind.Thepartyisthefifthmostpopularnationwideanddespiteitsrelativeobscurityinmanyplaces,theircandidatesinthelastpresidentialelectiongarneredasurprisingamountofvotes,onceagainshowingthegrowingpopularityofthirdpartiesinAmerica.1995–ReformParty

TheReformPartywasfoundedbyRossPerotin1995afterherwonnearly20%ofthepopularvoteinthe1992presidentialelectionrunningasanindependent.Thesuccesshesawasathirdpartycandidatewasunheardof,anddespiteitsdecline,nootherthirdpartyinAmericahasgarneredtheamountofvotesinasingleelectiononthefederallevelastheReformParty

has.ThispartywasseenasareactiontoAmericanpoliticaldisillusionmentandofferedwhattheyfeltwasaviablealternativetoDemocraticandRepublicancandidates,andassuchisrelativelycentristinphilosophy.Ofnote,currentpresidentDonaldTrumpwasonceamemberofthisparty.

2001–GreenParty

Despitevariousiterationsofthepartyanditsenvironmentalistideologybeingaroundfordecades,thecurrentpartywasfoundedin2001andisknown

generally asaleft-leaninggrassrootspartywithafocusonenvironmentalpreservation.Theyareprobablymostwell-knownforits2000presidentialcandidateRalphNaderwhowaspartiallyblamedforsplittingtheleft-wingvotebetweenhimandDemocratAlGore,allowingRepublicanGeorgeW.Bushtowintheelection.Despitethis,theyarepopularenoughtofeatureineverypresidentialelectiondespitetheirlowelectoralturnout.