State Parties and National Politics: North Carolina, 1815-1861In this study of political party development in North Carolina during the antebellum period, Thomas E. Jeffrey accounts for the persistence of the second-party system in that state, emphasizing the sectional conflict that divided eastern plantation and western small farming counties. Although members of the Whig and Democratic parties disagreed strongly over national issues, the state issues—public school funding, internal improvements, the creation of new counties—divided citizens along sectional rather than party lines. Party leaders attempted to reconcile progressive western interests and conservative eastern interests by accentuating cohesive national issues. Jeffrey reveals factors that preserved the vitality of the secondparty system in North Carolina even as other states became politically stagnant. This vitality would shape politics of the Old North State during the Civil War, Reconstruction, and beyond. The upheaval of the Civil War vindicated the policies of the Whigs, and although extinct outside of the state, this party would lead North Carolina into the age of the New South. |
Contents
I | 12 |
Maps | 18 |
State Sectionalism and Party | 49 |
The Creation of Mass Political | 68 |
Political Parties | 91 |
Ideology and Political Culture | 117 |
The Social Bases | 143 |
Figures | 163 |
North Carolina 18501855 | 219 |
North Carolina | 245 |
Party Strength in the North Carolina House of Commons | 252 |
North Carolina and | 281 |
Party System | 313 |
Classification of Federalist | 329 |
Bibliography | 395 |
| 409 | |
Common terms and phrases
antebellum Antebellum North Carolina assembly August banks bill Buren campaign Carolinians caucus Chapel Hill claimed Clingman congressional constitutional reform convention crats defeat delegates Demo Democratic party denounced district east eastern Whigs editor electorate favor Fayetteville Observer federal free suffrage governor Graham Greensboro Patriot Haywood Holden house of commons ibid internal improvements issue Jackson Jacksonian Jeffrey John Kruman legislature Louisiana State University majority Mangum Marc W Martin Van Buren ment mountain NCHR nomination North Carolina Politics North Carolina Press North Carolina Railroad North Carolina Standard Old North opponents opposition Papers partisan Party in North party leaders party's Pegg percent piedmont politicians Politics in North presidential election Raleigh & Gaston Raleigh North Carolina Raleigh Register Reid Republican Second Party System sectional senate Shepard South System in North tariff Thomas tion tional Union University of North University Press vote voters western Whig party William William W Wilmington