The two-party system in the 1830s featured Democrats and which party as the main opposition?

The two-party system in the 1830s featured Democrats and which party as the main opposition?

• A. Whig Party
• B. Know-Nothing Party
• C. Republican Party
• D. Federalist Party

Answer: (A)

In the 1830s the main opposition to the Democrats formed around the Whig Party, a coalition created to challenge Andrew Jackson and his policies. The Whigs drew support from bankers, merchants, industrialists, some Southern planters, and reform-minded citizens who favored a stronger role for Congress, modernization, and economic development through tariffs and federal-funded infrastructure. This group stood in sharp contrast to Jackson’s aggressive use of executive power and his dismantling of institutions like the Second Bank of the United States. Other parties mentioned didn’t fit the period. The Federalist Party had largely faded away after the early 1800s, so it wasn’t a contemporary opposition. The Know-Nothing Party and the Republican Party appeared later (Know-Nothing in the 1850s, Republican in the mid-1850s), so they weren’t the main opponents during the 1830s. Therefore, the Whig Party is the best answer.

In the 1830s the main opposition to the Democrats formed around the Whig Party, a coalition created to challenge Andrew Jackson and his policies. The Whigs drew support from bankers, merchants, industrialists, some Southern planters, and reform-minded citizens who favored a stronger role for Congress, modernization, and economic development through tariffs and federal-funded infrastructure. This group stood in sharp contrast to Jackson’s aggressive use of executive power and his dismantling of institutions like the Second Bank of the United States.

Other parties mentioned didn’t fit the period. The Federalist Party had largely faded away after the early 1800s, so it wasn’t a contemporary opposition. The Know-Nothing Party and the Republican Party appeared later (Know-Nothing in the 1850s, Republican in the mid-1850s), so they weren’t the main opponents during the 1830s. Therefore, the Whig Party is the best answer.