The 1850s saw in America the breakdown of the Jacksonian party system in the North and the emergence of a new sectional party--the Republicans--that succeeded the Whigs in the nation's two-party system. This monumental work uses demographic, voting, and other statistical analysis as well as the more traditional methods and sources of political history to trace the realignment of American politics in the 1850s and the birth of the Republican party. Gienapp powerfully demonstrates that the organization of the Republican party was a difficult, complex, and lengthy process and explains why, even after an inauspicious beginning, it ultimately became a potent political force. The study also reveals the crucial role of ethnocultural factors in the collapse of the second party system and thoroughly analyzes the struggle between nativism and antislavery for political dominance in the North. The volume concludes with the decisive triumph of the Republican party over the rival American party in the 1856 presidential election. Far-reaching in scope yet detailed in analysis, this is the definitive work on the formation of the Republican party in antebellum America. ... Publisher descri[ption.
Chapters: Radical Whigs and the Resistance Movement -- Congressional Factionalism and the Decision to Revolt -- Factions and the Spirit of Seventy-Six -- The Politics of War, 1776-1778 -- Confederation -- Congressional Parties, 1777-1779 -- The Second Resistance: The Politics of Foreign Affairs, 1778-1779 -- Currency Finance and Corruption, 1776-1779 -- Crisis, Confederation, Consolidation -- The Nationalist Dilemma: Finance, France, and the West, 1781-1782 -- The Failure of the Nationalists -- The Ascendancy of the South: 1784-1785 -- The Crisis of the Confederation --Epilogue: The Genesis of the First Party System.
Summary
"Reexamines the immense documentation still extant for the Congress, and judiciously evaluates the Congress's accomplishments and points out its frailties. The book's most distinctive feature is its focus on congressional politics and factions. The author examines the voting patterns and personal and geographical divisions existing in the Continental Congress, uncovering all the elements of a concealed party system taking form as early as 1774." [from the publisher]
