... American Whig Party was on a par with the Democrats in the 1840's. The party stood for 'positive liberal state', where the government would subsidise and/or protect enterprises which contributed to economic growth. The Democrats, on the other hand, stood for 'negative liberal state' whereby the government would keep out of the economy. The Whigs primary concerns were to promote internal improvements, such as roads, canals and train lines. Many Westerners favoured this as they were quite isolated. However after the birth of the Republican Party in 1854, many Whigs deserted their party in favour of the new anti-slavery Republicans. The Know-Nothing Party also appealed to Whigs for its anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic views. The American Whig Party disbanded in 1856. In 1792 Thomas Jefferson founded the Democratic Party and in 1848 the name was officially changed to the Democratic National Committee. In 1852 Franklin Pierce was elected President, with William ...

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