<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Revision:%20Clippings/Party realignment in the United States%20-%2020260302210520" style="border:1px solid #555; padding:4px 12px; border-radius:4px; color:#a89ee8; text-decoration:none; font-size:0.9em; background-color:#2a2a2a;">📩 Submit a Revision/Addition</a> ![[32580cd87c29ffc9fb88eff8cc9b31c6.mp4]] A **party realignment** in the [United States](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States "United States") is when the country changes from being mostly run by one [political party](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_party "Political party") to mostly run by another political party. Some [groups of people](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics "Demographics") who used to vote for one party vote for the other one. Sometimes, political parties end and new ones begin. Party realignments can happen because of important events in history or because of changes in the kinds of people in the country. In the early 1800s, America had the "First Party System" with the [Federalist Party](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalist_Party "Federalist Party") and [Democratic-Republican Party](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic-Republican_Party "Democratic-Republican Party"). When [James Monroe](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Monroe "James Monroe") was elected President of the United States, the Federalists died out. There was an "Era of Good Feelings" of [one-party rule](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-party_dominant_state "One-party dominant state") by the Democratic-Republicans. In the [United States presidential election, 1824](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1824 "United States presidential election, 1824"), four different men ran for President, all as Democratic-Republicans. [John Quincy Adams](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Quincy_Adams "John Quincy Adams") was elected. After the election, [Andrew Jackson](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Jackson "Andrew Jackson") formed a new party called the Democrats from some of the Democratic-Republicans. Jackson's party was strongest in the South and West, and in some cities (at this time, only a few Americans lived in cities). Soon after Jackson's election, another party formed around supporters of Adams and [Henry Clay](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Clay "Henry Clay"). It was first called the National Republican Party, and later the [Whig Party](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whig_Party_\(United_States\) "Whig Party (United States)"). The Whigs were strong in the North, and among the middle class and businessmen. The system of Democrats and Whigs is called the "Second Party System." After the [Kansas-Nebraska Act](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas-Nebraska_Act "Kansas-Nebraska Act"), the "Second Party System" ended. - Whigs and Democrats who did not want to pass the [Kansas-Nebraska Act](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas%E2%80%93Nebraska_Act "Kansas–Nebraska Act") (which mandated [popular sovereignty](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_sovereignty "Popular sovereignty")), and [Free-Soilers](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Soil_Party "Free Soil Party") (who, as a rule, opposed the expansion of [slavery](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_United_States "Slavery in the United States")) formed a new party called the [Republicans](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_\(United_States\) "Republican Party (United States)"). The Republicans' main goal was stopping slavery, but they also liked many of the things the Whigs liked. - The Whig Party broke up. Some Whigs joined the [Know-Nothing Party](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know-Nothing_Party "Know-Nothing Party") or other small parties for the 1856 election. More joined the Republicans or Democrats. - In the 1860 election, Know-Nothings and Democrats who supported the Union formed the [Constitutional Union Party](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_Union_Party "Constitutional Union Party"). During and after the [American Civil War](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War "American Civil War"), the Know-Nothings and Unionists were part of the Republican Party. - In 1860, what was left of the Democratic Party broke into Northern and Southern wings, one on each side of the [Civil War](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War "American Civil War"). - By 1868, the Democratic Party came back together and there was the "Third Party System" of Democrats and Republicans. America went from being mostly Republican in the 1920s to mostly Democratic in the 1930s. This was due to America becoming much more [urban](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbanization "Urbanization"), and the [Great Depression](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression "Great Depression"). [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt "Franklin D. Roosevelt") formed a coalition that would mostly last until 1964 called the " [New Deal coalition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal_coalition "en:New Deal coalition")." - Urban areas became very Democratic. They voted very heavily for people like [Al Smith](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Smith "Al Smith") and Roosevelt. They had been growing rapidly, due in part to [immigrants](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration "Immigration") who were part of Democratic [political machines](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_machine "Political machine"). - [African American](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Americans "African Americans") citizens had been moving from the South into large Northern cities, in large part due to [racial segregation](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_segregation_in_the_United_States "Racial segregation in the United States"). Before the 1930s, they had either not voted or voted Republican. Under Roosevelt, they mostly voted Democratic. - Roosevelt also made gains in every part of the country, due to his mass appeal and the desire to end the depression. In the 1960s and 70s, the New Deal coalition fell apart. This was due to the [Civil Rights Movement](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Movement "Civil Rights Movement"), [Roe v. Wade](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade "Roe v. Wade"), [Vietnam War](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War "Vietnam War") and the [suburbanization](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suburbanization "Suburbanization") of America. What changed: - After the [1964 Civil Rights Act](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964 "Civil Rights Act of 1964"), many white, conservative [Southern Democrats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Democrats "en:Southern Democrats") became Republicans. The [South](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_South "en:Solid South") had been mostly Democratic before 1964; it was mostly Republican after (Although on the local level it continued to be heavily democratic for decades). - Many "values voters" became [Republicans](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_\(United_States\) "Republican Party (United States)"). These were people who voted based on their own form of [morality](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morality "Morality"). To them, [abortion](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion "Abortion") and [gay rights](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_rights "Gay rights") were immoral. In the 1960s, [sex](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_intercourse "Sexual intercourse") was closely tied to morality. In this way, people who opposed [abortion](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion "Abortion") and [gay rights](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality "Homosexuality"), for example [Jerry Falwell](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Falwell "Jerry Falwell"), and the changes to society happening in the 1960s and 70s, became Republicans. - Republicans also made some gains among [working-class](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_class "Working class") [Catholics](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholics "Catholics"), who were mostly conservative on social issues. - The [Democrats](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_\(United_States\) "Democratic Party (United States)") were able to make gains among more liberal Republicans and with [Latino](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latino "Latino") voters. - Working-class Democrats voted for Republicans in the 1980 election. They were called Reagan Democrats because they voted for [Ronald Reagan](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan "Ronald Reagan").