Elites and Masses: The Prevalence of Economic Issues Versus Cultural Issues in 19th Century American State and National Party Platforms

Debate over the impetus behind political party development in 19th century America has generated volumes of scholarship. Much of it has focused on the complex relationship between elites and voters on the influence of party policy proposals. The question is how elite perception of voter demands influenced party ideological development. Because we lack comprehensive first-hand information of citizen motives on election day, we must rely on available accounts of convention debates and official statements by party elites to clarify the causes of party development. This study addresses this question by focusing on two prominent approaches - the role of cultural and socioeconomic concerns in party ideological formation. A content analysis of national and state party platforms of the major parties during presidential election years from 1840 through 1896 sheds light on this debate. This paper offer a possible insight into elite electoral strategy by arguing that party leaders set the political agenda by consistently referencing economic concerns in greater salience and specificity rather than cultural concerns in party platforms. Party leaders gave greater credence to cultural issues only when specific local or state concerns required that the party stake out a position in their platforms.