Whig party

Cultural

An American political party formed in the 1830s to oppose President Andrew Jackson and the Democrats. Whigs stood for protective tariffs, national banking, and federal aid for internal improvements. Senators Henry Clay and Daniel Webster were prominent Whigs, as were four presidents (William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Millard Fillmore). The party fell into disunity in the 1850s over slavery; some former Whigs, including Abraham Lincoln, then joined the new Republican party.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Democratic Party split over the leadership of Andrew Jackson, eventually creating the Whig party.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 31, 2021

The Know Nothings emerged from the crack-up of the Whig party over the issue of the extension of slavery in the territories.

From The Guardian • May 30, 2020

Alli was initially running as a Democrat but withdrew in March to run as an independent and then was nominated by the newly formed Whig party.

From Washington Times • Jun. 9, 2018

He had to invite leading members of the opposition Whig party to join his government, but then set about implementing a programme of progressive reforms.

From BBC • May 29, 2017

His attitude on the war lost the district to the Whig party.

From Lincoln, the Politician by Levy, T. Aaron

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023