| Founded: | June 10, 1872 |
| Dissolved: | September 29, 1879 |
| Succeeded by: | National American Party |
| Ideology: | Centrism, civil service reform, liberalism, nativism |
The National Party was a short-lived political party in the United States that served as a transition between the Republican Party and the National American Party.
History[]
After the fall of the Republican Party in the early 1870's, an entire side of the American political spectrum was left disenfranchised. The legacy of the Republican Party was seen as damaged goods- the public blamed them for a pointless, extremely bloody war that saw the downfall of American pride and prosperity in the North. Two main political forces arised in the immediate aftermath of this downfall. The first of these was the American Party, which carried on the radical legacy of the former Republican movement, advocating for civil rights and continued resistance to the slave power in the South.
James G. Blaine
In response, the National Party was formed. This party aimed to be closer in character to the old Whig Party- a moderate, liberal-oriented, big tent party that could challenge the perceived backwardness of the conservative Democratic Party. They also advocated for civil service reform, a response to the corruption fomenting in national politics since the country had become a de facto one party state. Those who chose this party over the American Party believed that high idealistic goals were a thing of the past and that moderation was the only way to challenge the Democrats' grip over national politics.
The party found its strongest base among former Republican voters in the Midwest, while the American Party was stronger in the Northeast. Their early history was a feeling out process as former prominent Republicans tried to determine which new party would end up being more popular. Out of curiosity, former Republican leader James G. Blaine attended the party's first national convention in 1872. When the delegates learned he was there, they unanimously voted to offer him their presidential nomination. He declined at first but eventually decided to accept, greatly boosting the party's recognition on the national stage.
The union between the National Party and Blaine was formed mostly out of convenience and mutual gain. Blaine wasn't highly committed to the principles of the party, but he was a famous politician who could get the party off its feet. For Blaine, it offered him a chance to reenter politics as the leader of a brand new movement. He would end up running as the party's presidential nominee in both 1872 and 1876, the only two presidential elections the party ever contested. They slowly gained national recognition, with a relatively strong performance of 41 electoral votes in 1876.
The idea of a merger between the two new parties had been floated continuously almost since they formed. While they were united in their goal of unseating the Democrats, there were highly charged issues on which they took different stances, and this prevented any direct cooperation for most of their years of operation. It was the 1876 election which caused both parties to change course, as they would have almost certainly won if they had run a unified ticket against Tilden. Whatever differences they had, leaders of both parties came to realize that it benefited none of them to remain apart. They would focus on defeating the Democrats, and then they could sort out whatever other issues remained. The parties merged into the National American party in 1879, in time to run their first unified ticket in the 1880 election.
Ideology[]
The ideology of the National Party wasn't always well-defined and interpretations varied between different members. The main unifying current in the party was opposition to the Democrats and the radicalism of the American Party. Those in this party believed that the country needed a moderate, unifying movement to help it move past the scars of the war. They hearkened back to the days of the Whigs, before the country had been torn apart by the insurmountable issue of slavery.
Members of the party generally believed that slavery was an issue of the past and civil rights were an issue of the future, something too divisive to take on until they had solidified their power. They saw the goals of the American Party as folly, representative of an inability to let go of their old failed movement. Their main goal was to defeat the economic conservatism of the Democrats and begin the lengthy process of forging a prosperous and modern United States without the rotten legacy of the slaveholders down South.
All in the party wished for abolition of slavery, but they were divided on when and how. Some wanted a constitutional amendment while some thought that a law was enough. Some thought that slavery would inevitably die out within a decade or two, and thus there was no reason to cause an uproar by legislating it away. A few thought that the issue should be solved by each state individually. The majority of the party believed that it was no longer the all-encompassing issue that it had been before the war, and that it could safely be ignored on the national stage, or even that it had to be ignored and de-emphasized in order to compete with the Democrats.
A subset of the party took on a distinctively nativist character as well. Some members believed that, if they had to have a new social issue to charge up their base, nativism was the way to go. Some of these nativists hadn't been politically active since the fall of the Know Nothing movement over a decade before. Nativism continued to be an issue of debate internally, though party leaders tried to maintain unity at all costs. James G. Blaine himself was deeply opposed to nativism as the descendant of Irish immigrants. He believed that becoming the leader of the party would allow him to quell these discomforting aspects of the movement. Opposing parties greatly played up the nativism of the National Party in their campaign messaging, casting them as an insidious and divisive force that aimed to tear the country apart once again. It is still debated to what extent nativism actually influenced the policy and direction of the National Party.
Legacy[]
Whatever lasting legacy the party has derives from its successor, the National American Party. This new party was seen by many to be more National than American, although a substantial number from both parties supported the merger. Members of the National Party continued on as their own faction in the newly united party, advocating for moderation and a veer away from social radicalism.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
