The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War
The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War
Langbourne M. Williams Professor of American History, and Chair of the History Department
Cite
Abstract
The political home of Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, Horace Greeley, and the young Abraham Lincoln, the American Whig Party was involved at every level of American politics—local, state, and federal—in the years before the Civil War, and controlled the White House for eight of the twenty-two years that it existed. This book gives a comprehensive history of the Whigs—a history covering in rich detail the American political landscape from the Age of Jackson to impending disunion. The history of the Whig Party becomes a political history of the United States during the tumultuous Antebellum period. The book offers a panoramic account of a time when a welter of parties (Whig, Democratic, Anti-Mason, Know Nothing, Free Soil, Republican) and many extraordinary political statesmen (including Andrew Jackson, John C. Calhoun, William Seward, Daniel Webster, Martin Van Buren, and Henry Clay) struggled to control the national agenda as the United States inched towards secession. It was an era when Americans were passionately involved in politics, when local concerns drove national policy, and when momentous political events rocked the country, including the Nullification Controversy, the Panic of 1837, the Annexation of Texas, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This book captures all of this as it shows that, amid this contentious political activity, the Whig Party continuously strove to unite North and South, repeatedly trying to find a compromise position. Indeed, the Whig Party emerges as the nation's last great hope to prevent secession and civil war.
-
Front Matter
-
1
“Not Fitted to Make Converts”
-
2
“To Rescue the Government and Public Liberty”
-
3
“No Opposition Man Can Be Elected President”
-
4
“We Have Many Recruits in Our Ranks from the Pressure of the Times”
-
5
“Harrison and Prosperity or Van Buren and Ruin”
-
6
“The Whig Party Seems Now Totally Broken Up and Dismembered”
-
7
“The Whigs Are in High Spirits”
-
8
“The Present Administration Are Your Best Recruiting Officers”
-
9
“The Contest for President Should Be Regarded as a Contest of Principles”
-
10
“We Must Have the Aid of Gunpowder”
-
11
“Stimulate Every Whig to Turn Out”
-
12
“Many Discordant Political Interests to Reconcile”
-
13
“Patronage Is a Dangerous Element of Power”
-
14
“The Slavery Excitement Seems Likely to Obliterate Party Lines”
-
15
“The Long Agony Is Over”
-
16
“God Save Us from Whig Vice Presidents”
-
17
“Fillmore … Is Precisely the Man for the Occasion”
-
18
“Webster Is Now Engaged in Strenuous Efforts to Secure the Succession”
-
19
“Scott & Scott Alone Is the Man for the Emergency”
-
20
“Like Pissing Against the Wind”
-
21
“Now Is the Time to Start New; The Old Issues Are Gone”
-
22
“This Nebraska Business Will Entirely Denationalize the Whig Party”
-
23
“The Whig Party, as a Party, Are Entirely Disbanded”
-
24
“Confusion Worse Confounded”
-
25
“Let, Then, the Whig Party Pass”
-
26
“The Whig Party Is Dead and Buried”
-
End Matter
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 10 |
October 2022 | 4 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 3 |
October 2022 | 2 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 2 |
October 2022 | 2 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 3 |
October 2022 | 5 |
October 2022 | 5 |
October 2022 | 7 |
October 2022 | 5 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 5 |
October 2022 | 12 |
October 2022 | 6 |
October 2022 | 2 |
October 2022 | 2 |
October 2022 | 4 |
October 2022 | 12 |
October 2022 | 3 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 4 |
October 2022 | 7 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 4 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 6 |
November 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 4 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 2 |
December 2022 | 5 |
December 2022 | 1 |
December 2022 | 1 |
December 2022 | 1 |
December 2022 | 6 |
January 2023 | 5 |
January 2023 | 4 |
January 2023 | 2 |
January 2023 | 5 |
January 2023 | 2 |
January 2023 | 7 |
January 2023 | 3 |
January 2023 | 1 |
January 2023 | 1 |
January 2023 | 2 |
January 2023 | 3 |
January 2023 | 5 |
January 2023 | 4 |
January 2023 | 2 |
January 2023 | 1 |
January 2023 | 4 |
January 2023 | 2 |
January 2023 | 1 |
February 2023 | 7 |
February 2023 | 5 |
February 2023 | 7 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 5 |
February 2023 | 1 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 4 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 6 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 7 |
February 2023 | 6 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 5 |
February 2023 | 5 |
February 2023 | 1 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 5 |
February 2023 | 5 |
February 2023 | 9 |
February 2023 | 5 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 8 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 5 |
February 2023 | 5 |
February 2023 | 23 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 3 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 4 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 3 |
March 2023 | 3 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 5 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 3 |
April 2023 | 3 |
April 2023 | 8 |
April 2023 | 18 |
April 2023 | 3 |
April 2023 | 4 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 6 |
April 2023 | 4 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 4 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 3 |
April 2023 | 4 |
April 2023 | 8 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 3 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 2 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 2 |
May 2023 | 2 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 2 |
May 2023 | 2 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 6 |
May 2023 | 6 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 2 |
May 2023 | 1 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 4 |
July 2023 | 3 |
July 2023 | 1 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 5 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 4 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 6 |
July 2023 | 4 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 4 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 1 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 4 |
July 2023 | 1 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 3 |
July 2023 | 4 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 3 |
August 2023 | 2 |
August 2023 | 1 |
August 2023 | 3 |
August 2023 | 5 |
August 2023 | 3 |
August 2023 | 4 |
August 2023 | 1 |
August 2023 | 1 |
August 2023 | 3 |
August 2023 | 3 |
September 2023 | 1 |
September 2023 | 1 |
September 2023 | 1 |
September 2023 | 2 |
September 2023 | 1 |
September 2023 | 1 |
September 2023 | 1 |
September 2023 | 1 |
October 2023 | 5 |
October 2023 | 2 |
October 2023 | 1 |
October 2023 | 1 |
October 2023 | 1 |
October 2023 | 1 |
October 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 4 |
November 2023 | 2 |
November 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 3 |
November 2023 | 5 |
November 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 3 |
December 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 1 |
December 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 3 |
December 2023 | 1 |
December 2023 | 4 |
December 2023 | 4 |
December 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 1 |
December 2023 | 1 |
December 2023 | 1 |
December 2023 | 6 |
December 2023 | 4 |
December 2023 | 4 |
January 2024 | 1 |
January 2024 | 1 |
January 2024 | 1 |
January 2024 | 2 |
January 2024 | 1 |
January 2024 | 1 |
January 2024 | 1 |
January 2024 | 1 |
January 2024 | 1 |
January 2024 | 3 |
January 2024 | 4 |
January 2024 | 2 |
January 2024 | 1 |
January 2024 | 2 |
February 2024 | 2 |
February 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 5 |
February 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 2 |
February 2024 | 5 |
February 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 2 |
February 2024 | 2 |
February 2024 | 4 |
February 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 4 |
March 2024 | 2 |
March 2024 | 7 |
March 2024 | 12 |
March 2024 | 6 |
March 2024 | 4 |
March 2024 | 2 |
March 2024 | 2 |
March 2024 | 1 |
March 2024 | 13 |
April 2024 | 9 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 17 |
April 2024 | 4 |
April 2024 | 9 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 11 |
April 2024 | 3 |
April 2024 | 13 |
April 2024 | 15 |
April 2024 | 10 |
April 2024 | 3 |
April 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 4 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 2 |
May 2024 | 3 |
May 2024 | 1 |
May 2024 | 2 |
May 2024 | 1 |
May 2024 | 3 |
May 2024 | 3 |
May 2024 | 3 |
May 2024 | 2 |
May 2024 | 4 |
May 2024 | 2 |
May 2024 | 7 |
May 2024 | 1 |
May 2024 | 1 |
May 2024 | 4 |
May 2024 | 2 |
May 2024 | 5 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 3 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 4 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 4 |
July 2024 | 7 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 3 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 4 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 4 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 6 |
July 2024 | 6 |
July 2024 | 5 |
July 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 3 |
July 2024 | 5 |
July 2024 | 7 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 3 |
July 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 6 |
July 2024 | 5 |
July 2024 | 3 |
August 2024 | 3 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 3 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 4 |
August 2024 | 4 |
August 2024 | 5 |
August 2024 | 4 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 3 |
August 2024 | 3 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 3 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 3 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 3 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 4 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
September 2024 | 2 |
September 2024 | 3 |
September 2024 | 1 |
September 2024 | 1 |
September 2024 | 1 |
September 2024 | 2 |
September 2024 | 1 |
September 2024 | 1 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 9 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 4 |
October 2024 | 6 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 4 |
October 2024 | 1 |
October 2024 | 8 |
October 2024 | 3 |
October 2024 | 3 |
October 2024 | 3 |
October 2024 | 3 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 3 |
October 2024 | 4 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 9 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 7 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 3 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 4 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 5 |
November 2024 | 5 |
November 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 14 |
November 2024 | 8 |
November 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 7 |
November 2024 | 23 |
November 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 6 |
November 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 1 |
December 2024 | 1 |
December 2024 | 5 |
December 2024 | 2 |
December 2024 | 3 |
December 2024 | 3 |
December 2024 | 2 |
December 2024 | 4 |
December 2024 | 1 |
December 2024 | 8 |
December 2024 | 3 |
December 2024 | 1 |
December 2024 | 1 |
December 2024 | 1 |
December 2024 | 4 |
December 2024 | 3 |
December 2024 | 2 |
December 2024 | 4 |
December 2024 | 2 |
December 2024 | 1 |
December 2024 | 3 |
January 2025 | 1 |
January 2025 | 4 |
January 2025 | 4 |
January 2025 | 3 |
January 2025 | 6 |
January 2025 | 1 |
January 2025 | 1 |
January 2025 | 5 |
January 2025 | 1 |
February 2025 | 1 |
February 2025 | 2 |
February 2025 | 1 |
February 2025 | 1 |
February 2025 | 2 |
February 2025 | 3 |
February 2025 | 3 |
February 2025 | 1 |
February 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 3 |
March 2025 | 3 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 2 |
March 2025 | 2 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 4 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 3 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 4 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 2 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 2 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 2 |
April 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 3 |
April 2025 | 5 |
April 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 3 |
April 2025 | 5 |
April 2025 | 2 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.