Modern Whig Party

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Modern Whig Party
AbbreviationMWP
Founded2008 (2008)
Dissolved2019 (2019)
Succeeded by Alliance Party
Headquarters Buffalo, New York
Ideology Conservative liberalism [1]
Jeffersonian democracy [2]
Political position Center
Colors  Orange

The Modern Whig Party (MWP) was a political party in the United States intended to be a revival of the Whigs that existed from 1833 to 1856. In 2019, it ceased activities as a party.

Contents

Background

The original Whig Party was founded by Henry Clay, [3] William Henry Harrison, [4] [5] Daniel Webster, [6] and Horace Greeley. According to Encyclopædia Britannica , [7] the "Whig Party, in U.S. history, [was a] major political party active in the period 1834–54 that espoused a program of national development but foundered on the rising tide of sectional antagonism". [8] It was the first party for Abraham Lincoln arising because "Jackson had shattered the National Republican Party." [8] [9] [10] It became a major force in American politics, [10] controlling the Congress at times and placing several Whigs in the presidency like Harrison, [11] Zachary Taylor, and Millard Fillmore.

History

The MWP was founded in 2008 by veterans as a mainstream, middle-of-the-road grassroots [12] movement representing voters who do not strictly accept Republican [13] and Democratic positions. [14] [15] [16] The party's general platform supported fiscal responsibility, [17] strong national defense and integrity and pragmatism in government. According to the Wall Street Journal , the party was "the brainchild of soldiers tired of the bickering that filled chow-hall TV screens on bases in Iraq and Afghanistan." [18]

Members of the party initially won a handful of local elections while running on major party tickets; the first being Ken Belcher of Alabama, who claimed victory on behalf of the MWP for Constable. [19] In spring 2010, Time rated the MWP as among the "top 10 most popular alternative political movements worldwide". [20] In 2013, Robert Bucholz, a software engineer running on the MWP ticket in Philadelphia, defeated a Democrat to win the post of judge of elections, becoming the first Whig to win an election in the city in 159 years. [21]

In January 2019, in the wake of the formation of the Alliance Party (United States), the MWP ceased activities as a party, opting to become a think tank for moderates known as the Modern Whig Institute and transferring the party’s remaining assets to the Institute. [22]

Ideology

According to the MWP website, Whigs have traditionally stood for representative government, individual liberty, social and economic progress, modernization, public education, a vibrant legislative branch and ongoing cooperation between the private and public sectors. [23] The News & Observer reports that the party was founded by United States troops while they were in "the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan." [24] The MWP was organized as a grassroots movement reflecting an ideology of centrism, [25] multiculturalism [26] and individualism [27] and aimed to serve the needs of the community by identifying the most basic human rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. [28] [25] [29]

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References

  1. ↑ "Values". Modernwhig.org. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  2. ↑ Buel, Richard (2015). America on the Brink: How the Political Struggle Over the War of 1812 Almost Destroyed the Young Republic. St. Martin's Publishing Group.
  3. ↑ "Henry Clay: The American Statesman".
  4. ↑ "William H Harrison".
  5. ↑ "William Henry Harrison".
  6. ↑ "Daniel Webster".
  7. ↑ "Whig Party (1834–1856)", Student's Guide to Elections, CQ Press, 2008, doi:10.4135/9781452240206.n153, ISBN   9780872895522 .
  8. 1 2 "Whig Party (1834–1856)", Student's Guide to Elections, CQ Press, 2008, doi:10.4135/9781452240206.n153, ISBN   9780872895522
  9. ↑ Howe, Daniel Walker (Winter 1995). "Why Abraham Lincoln Was a Whig". Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association. 16 (1). hdl:2027/spo.2629860.0016.105. ISSN   1945-7987.
  10. 1 2 "Whig Party | History, Beliefs, Significance, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Political Parties of the Presidents". www.presidentsusa.net. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Major American Political Parties".
  13. ↑ "Richard Cavendesh". hystorytoday.com.
  14. ↑ "Wall Street Journal".
  15. ↑ "The Modern Whig Party". Modernwhig.info. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  16. ↑ "Whigs Revived". Albuquerque Journal. July 29, 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  17. ↑ "The Republican Party Becomes the Whig Party".
  18. ↑ "Wall Street Journal".
  19. ↑ "Slate".
  20. ↑ "Top 10 Alternative Political Movements". Time. March 29, 2010. Archived from the original on April 1, 2010.
  21. ↑ "Philadelphia Inquirer".
  22. ↑ September 12, The Modern Whigs of America ·; reactions, 2018 8:15 PM · 3. "The Modern Whig Institute". The Modern Whig Institute.
  23. ↑ "The Modern Whig Institute". The Modern Whig Institute. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  24. ↑ Christensen, Rob (April 26, 2009). "Whigs rise again". Politics. The News & Observer . Raleigh, NC: The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  25. 1 2 "Blog". The Modern Whig Institute. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  26. ↑ Wallach, Philip A. (March 6, 2017). "Prospects for partisan realignment: Lessons from the demise of the Whigs". Brookings. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  27. ↑ Fox, Dixon Ryan (1918–2012). "The Economic Status of the New York Whigs". Political Science Quarterly. 33 (4): 501–518. doi:10.2307/2141604. ISSN   0032-3195. JSTOR   2141604.
  28. ↑ "Major American Political Parties of the 19th Century". Norwich University Online. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  29. ↑ "On this day, the Whig Party becomes a national force - National Constitution Center". National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
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