a nineteenth-century political party; it was one of the two major parties until breaking up in the 1850s. Supported an active national government.

a former political party in the United States; formed in 1834 in opposition to the Democratic Party; advocated a loose interpretation of the Constitution and high protective tariffs

A political party generally against slavery and its expansion into the territories. The Whig party had basically been swallowed up by the Democrat and Republican parties by the time of the Civil War.

This political party formed in the mid-1830s in opposition to the Jacksonian Democrats that favored a strong role for the national government in promoting economic growth. Whigs were spiritual descendants of Hamiltonian nationalism.

The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from 1832 to 1856, the party was formed to oppose the policies of President Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party. In particular, the Whigs supported the supremacy of Congress over the Executive Branch and favored a program of modernization and economic development.