Explain how Democrats and Whigs viewed liberty and the role of government in securing liberty.
Throughout American political history, the Democratic and Whig parties have had different understandings of the role of government in securing liberty. The first half of this paper will outline the dominant ideas about liberty among Democrats and Whigs. The second half will compare and contrast these ideas on what constitutes a good life with regards to different conceptions of liberty, including social, economic, and political freedom.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was essential for a group to have a particular conception of liberty. The Whig Party emphasized the importance of social freedom and equality within society over political inclusiveness. As Whigs opposed government interference in individual lives, they believed that the world would be better if people were left to live as they pleased (Wood, 2018). They also believed that individuals knew best how to run their own lives and businesses within an economy controlled by none but themselves (the political order).
Democratic Party leaders held related but distinct views. They believed in political freedom, and also in the importance of economic, social, and political freedom. Democratic-Republicans supported a system of government that was power-grounded but did not stay as close to politics as the Whig Party did. They believed that society could be changed through political action rather than through appeals to individuals to change their own lives. In such a system of government, people are dependent on their fellow citizens for the favor and protection of the state (Wood, 2018). The philosophy of the Democratic Party and the Whigs was that of individualism and freedom and economic opportunity (rather than equality).
The Democratic-Republican leaders, such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, realized that many Americans could not be trusted to live according to their own desires. The people needed a strong central government with laws that protected people against all kinds of harm. In order for government to become strong enough to do this, the nation had to have an economic system in which some individuals depended on it. The Democratic-Republican Party leaders believed that economic inequality was a necessary component of a successful republican society and held that equality was better achieved through the protection given by government and through the free market than it was by government redistribution of wealth (Silver, 2018). The Democratic-Republican Party proposed the elimination of the federal debt, removal of the remaining British forts along the Canadian border, hard money policies, an increase in trade with Britain and oversight of foreign commerce.
Thomas Jefferson, member of the Democratic-Republican Party. Most of the Founding Fathers, including George Washington, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton were members of this party.
Jefferson and Madison discussed what would later come to be referred to as American Exceptionalism. They thought that America was different from Europe in that it did not have rigid social classes and it had deep roots in Protestantism. They also thought that the American values of liberty and equality were strongly held by average Americans. This was the reason why they did not fear that democracy would result in chaos and mob rule. They believed that a free people could be relied upon to make the right decisions (Silver, 2018).
For leaders of both parties, liberty meant the ability to live in accordance with your own values and desires so long as you respect the equal freedom of others. They held that liberty is essential to human well-being. The Whig Party focused on what they called social liberty, while Democrats were interested in political liberty and economic opportunity (Pearson, 2019). Whigs emphasized the importance of economic liberty and the idea that economic and social reforms would ultimately lead people to reject politics in favor of a life based on personal choices.
Whig Party leader William Cobbett wrote, “Political freedom is that which I allow my neighbor to enjoy in his proper sphere, and not that which I grant myself.” This statement illustrates their belief system very well. Whigs believed that most Americans did not have enough political freedom because the federal government was too powerful. Whigs wanted to limit government interference in the American economy (Pearson, 2019). They did not want to regulate industry or trade and they thought that the best way to maintain a healthy economy was through competition, aided by such things as roads, canals and bridges.
Democrats believed that the federal government was necessary for national defense, law enforcement, regulation of business practices, preservation of the Union, and promotion of prosperity through economic development. Democrats generally favored government involvement in public education and infrastructure building. They also favored protective tariffs to support manufacturing and internal improvements such as roads and canals.
The Democratic-Republican Party dominated the period from 1800 to 1824, when the national government was controlled by the Democratic-Republicans. The party’s main support came from southern plantation owners and businessmen, although urban workingmen and artisans also generally supported the party because of its stand on economic policy. The Democratic-Republican Party supported states’ rights and their view that the federal government should play a minimal role in society (Pearson, 2019).
To conclude, the Whig and Democratic-Republican Party were the two political parties that dominated the formation of the United States of America. These two parties were in competition with each other as they sought to control the government. The Whigs wanted a strong central government that would determine important issues such as trade and tariffs, tariffs were crucial to their economic policy. The Democrats on the other hand, wanted to retain the states’ rights, which was key to their being and retaining political power.
The Whigs were known as a reform party, they believed that the federal government should do less and that the states should have more control in determining policy. The Democrats were known as a party of government (like the federal government), they believed that the federal government should regulate internal commerce and trade. Their policy was to provide for internal improvements such as roads and canals for business growth and expansion.
References
Wood, N. P. (2018). Liberty Power: Antislavery Third Parties and the Transformation of American Politics. https://www.jstor.org/stable/90018996
Silver, A. (2018). Consensus and Conflict: A Content Analysis of American Party Platforms, 1840–1896. Social Science History, 42(3), 441-467. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/social-science-history/article/abs/consensus-and-conflict-a-content-analysis-of-american-party-platforms-18401896/A7CD73C4D4483735CDE1CCFCA60F8AD2
Pearson, J. (2019). Dread Barbarism and the Pursuit of Power: American Whig Thought and The Purpose of the Past. Ohio Valley History, 19(4), 3-18. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/744541/summary