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Democrats Vs Whig Essay

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Prior to the civil war, early America was already combatting both political and socioeconomic issues amongst its inhabitants. The political condition of the country was divided between two opposing parties whose beliefs established the foundation of various social issues that would arise soon after much dispute. The two contradicting parties were categorized under two titles: Democrats and Whigs.
Democrats, better yet known as America’s modern day Republicans, were composed of “non-producers”—bankers, merchants, spectators—who sought to utilize their government affiliations to enhance their wealth. This was done at the disadvantage of the “producing classes”—farmers, artisans and laborers. The Democrats adopted a hands-off policy regarding …show more content…

The Whigs, America’s modern day Democrats, believed that the government was in a high enough position and held enough authority to create conditions of an enriched and controlled economy. This action would (according to their logic), promote the advancement of all classes in various regions. They completely rebuffed the notion that the government should not intervene in private affairs. Those that were in support of the Whigs usually held anti-slavery views, whereas, those in support of the Democrats held pro-slavery views.
Each party played a significant role in the tensions that built along the nation (resulting in the notorious civil war). The members of the Democratic party held prestige statuses in the socioeconomic realm, as well as political. This party was primarily composed of elite members looking to advance their own interests in terms of political issues.
There were also distinct biases in voting and population. Slave states held an unfair advantage under the circumstance that their populations were incomparable to other states because of the slaves that occupied these places. Their populations usually maintained a hold on power by state constitution that gave plantation divisions a considerable amount of representation in legislature (much more than their population called for), as well as through office holders and property

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