I have an article in the New York Times Disunion series today on the transformation of American political parties and the nature of partisanship during the Civil War era.
In short, extreme partisanship is nothing new, and is a key part of American political identity. But taken to excess, it can have disastrous consequences. Is there a lesson in there for today? Maybe. Anti-partisanship is also an old tradition in America, with roots in the writings of George Washington. Is partisanship out of control today? Or are things always this polarized?
This piece explores what happened to the last elements of the Jacksonian “Second Party System” (the First Party System died with the War of 1812) during the Civil War – especially in the American heartland states of Kentucky and Missouri.