USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The spirit of Jacksonian democracy animated the party from the early 1830s to the 1850s, shaping the Second Party System, with the Whig Party as the main opposition.

Detailed explanation-2: -The followers of both of the first political parties, the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans, were organized in loose alliances led by members of the social elite who served in Congress or the executive branch.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Federalists, led by Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, wanted a strong central government, while the Anti-Federalists, led by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, advocated states’ rights instead of centralized power.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Democrats and Whigs gradually adopted the first party-based customs in the Senate. In the 1830s, for example, members of the two parties began sitting on opposite sides of the Senate Chamber, with the Democrats gathering to the right of the presiding officer and the Whigs to the left.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Democratic and Republican parties are currently the primary parties in Congress. Learn more about political party divisions in the U.S. Senate.