From the early 1830s through 1856, American politics had been dominated by the Democrats and the Whigs, but in the election of 1856 the Whig Party fell apart, as many of the politicians and its support base migrated and formed the Republican Party.

The first major party that organized in the United States was the Federalists. They organized around the effort to get the Constitution rarified. They faced loose and unorganized opposition from the Anti-Federalists (not a formal party).

Our current party system, with the Democrats and Republicans as the two main parties, came into being right before the start of the Civil War and has held sway ever since. The Federalist Party, however, actually vigorously promoted the US Constitution, with its leaders Alexander Hamilton and John Adams lobbying intensely for its adoption. Abraham Lincoln was actually the very first Republican candidate to become President and the Jacksonian Democrats took their name from their most famous and popular member, Andrew Jackson, whose ideas the party aggressively supported for decades.

Out of the above list, the Jeffersonians are the only example of a mainstream political party. The Jeffersonians formed at the beginning of the 1800s to support Thomas Jefferson and eventually transitioned into the Democratic-Republican Party, which continued to uphold Jefferson’s ideals. Every other party listed is an example of an influential third party – from the Free Soilers who campaigned throughout the 1850s to halt the spread of slavery to Ralph Nader’s environmentally-conscious Green Party to Theodore Roosevelt’s reform-minded Progressives. While none of these parties ever successfully managed to win the White House, nevertheless they each forced the public and the mainstream party system to take notice and respond to the crucial issues each championed.

All of these politicians are matched with political actions that are consistent with their political parties and the political beliefs that they held, apart from Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson was an ardent Democratic-Republican. As such, he purported to favor a weak central government, stronger power for the States, and many protections against the possible tyranny of the Executive Branch; however, as President, he unilaterally acted to purchase the Louisiana territory, greatly expanding both the territory of the United States and the powers of the President. Few Americans would suggest he acted wrongly, but he certainly acted contrary to his own public conscience.

While the Federalists and Anti-Federalists did disagree on exactly to spell out the various individual freedoms (the Anti-Federalists, who championed the Bill of Rights, thought the Constitution was initially too unclear), both parties agreed wholeheartedly about the necessity and governmental preservation of personal liberties. On the other hand, these two groups did indeed engage in many conflicts and shared few other commonalities. The Federalists wanted the national government to be stronger than the individual state governments, a power structure which the Anti-Federalists fiercely opposed. Meanwhile, the Anti-Federalists believed that political officials should be directly elected by the people and should serve only short terms, while the Federalists wanted just the opposite (indirect election and longer terms). Most of the Federalists were well-off individuals, either large landowners or successful merchants or professionals, and therefore believed that the highest government offices would be best run by their fellow elites, who they contended had the necessary education and experience for successful governing. The Anti-Federalists derided this belief; as small farmers or laborers, they felt that the so-called “common man” (aka the average white male citizen) was more than intelligent and qualified enough by their various life experiences to effectively govern. According to the Anti-Federalists, the Federalists were nothing more than snobby elitists, while the Federalists looked down their opponents as small-minded and petty.

From the beginning of Roosevelt’s government in the 1930s—during The Great Depression—all the way through to the mid 1960s, American politics was dominated by the Democratic Party. This dominance fell apart in the dealignment election of 1968, when much of the Democratic Party’s support base migrated towards the Republicans.

The States’ Rights Party, also popularly called the Dixiecrats, was led by Strom Thurmond, who ran for President on the platform of States’ Rights and the continuation of segregationist policies in the election of 1948. The Dixiecrats carried four states—South Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi.

Eugene Debs was one of the most famous socialists in American history. He ran for Presidency as the candidate of the Socialist Party of America on five separate occasions, once attracting over five percent of the popular vote.

The third party system (c.a. 1854 – c.a. 1890s) is where we see the development and the solidification of the two parties that still exist today, the Democrats and Republicans. Remember: Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president.

Having said that, it’s important to note that make-up of the parties (no, not the kind you wear on your face) has changed tremendously throughout the years. This is a product of what political scientists call realignment, which if beyond the scope of this particular question. For now, just know that 1854 is the first Democrat v. Republican election, and that it’s pretty much been Democrat v. Republican since then.