Understand the reasons for political realignment in the 1830s and the emergence of the Whigs.?

Question

what are the reasons.

Answer 1

After the War of 1812, the Federalist Party collapsed and the Jeffersonian Republicans became wholly dominant nationally and in nearly every state except Delaware. The Republicans had picked their presidential candidates by a caucus of members of Congress. That fell out of use in 1820 and could not be revived.

In 1824, four factions ran candidates. A rump caucus backed Georgia Senator William Crawford, but he was ill. The Crawford faction included most "Old Republicans," who remained committed to states' rights and the Principles of 1798, and were distrustful of the nationalization program promoted by Henry Clay and John Calhoun. Andrew Jackson, war hero from 1812, had a strong base in the southwest, especially among militia units. John Quincy Adams (son of Federalist John Adams but himself a Republican) had a base in New England. Finally, Henry Clay of Kentucky had been the party leader in Congress since 1811.

Jackson had the most popular and electoral votes, but not a majority. The House chose from the top three; Clay was fourth and threw his support to Adams, who was elected, and who then named Clay Secretary of State. Jackson, outraged at the "corrupt bargain", swore revenge and started organizing for 1828. His alliance with Martin Van Buren of New York, Thomas Ritchie of Virginia, and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. plus most of the Old Republicans from Crawford's faction, assured Jackson a national base of support.[1] Van Buren was the man instrumental in pulling together the coalition in the name of Jackson. It did not yet have a formal name, and most members still called themselves "Jackson Men" or "Republicans."[2]

Adams organized his supporters as the ad-hoc "National Republican" party. He lost badly, and Clay took over the party, making it into the Whig party by 1832

After 1830, the Democratic Party drew support from a cross section of the country; every group was represented, but few rich merchants or bankers joined., The party was strongest among traditionalistic farmers, frontiersmen, unskilled workers, Irish Catholics, and local or state political leaders. It was weakest in New England, where industrialization turned most factory workers and white collar workers into Whigs, but was dominant in all other regions. The key issues it promoted were opposition to elites and aristocrats, popular democracy (in terms of voting rights and access to government patronage jobs) and opposition to the Bank of the United States. The policies were known as Jacksonian Democracy. Banking and tariffs were the central domestic policy issues from 1828 to 1848. The Democrats favored the Mexican-American War; Whigs opposed it. Democrats attracted Catholic Irish and German immigrants and denounced anti-immigrant nativism. Both the Democrats and Whigs were divided on the issue of slavery.