"The selections in these anthologies are indicative of the attention that historians and the general public are giving to political parties, recognizing their essential role in democratic society. This history of parties, once narrowly defined as elections, has in recent years been reconsidered and altered. The study of party history has become the study of behavioral patterns in American society. Each volume in this series achieves a balance from the point of view of topics and of periods. Both the influence of individuals and that of the electorate at large are discussed; the impact of foreign and domestic issues is presented; and the party at the state and national level is critically examined."--Jacket. "Volume II: 1828-1890 shows that we can find in the arena of party politics the major political changes that make the nineteenth century so important in the history of American democracy. In these years, new forms of party organization and political leadership were created and perfected. The result was a competitive two-party system in all its modern features. Each of the articles chosen to be incorporated in these anthologies represents the best writings of historians and political scientists and lucidly presents significant ideas and interpretations. Each volume contains a general introduction which serves to focus the reader on the problems of the period and to introduce the major issues and debates of the time. In addition, each article is prefaced by a brief introduction which explains the importance of the article, as well as gives relevant data about its author."--Jacket.