This political party’s influence in Milwaukee, first apparent in the late 1830s, was circumscribed because of the city’s substantial foreign-born population. German and Irish voters tended to align themselves with the Democratic Party against the Yankee-dominated Whigs, who were seen as nativists and temperance advocates. Over the course of the 1840s and 1850s, Milwaukee Whigs attempted to form coalitions with other groups, including abolitionists and the Free Soil Party but they failed to make a significant impact within the local electorate. When the Republican Party emerged in national politics, it attracted most of the remaining Whigs.
For Further Reading
Still, Bayrd. Milwaukee: The History of a City. Madison, WI: Wisconsin State Historical Society, 1948.
Watrous, Jerome. Memoirs of Milwaukee County, vol. 1. Madison, WI: Western Historical Association, 1909.
0 Comments
Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the Encyclopedia of Milwaukee Community rules and terms of use, and will be moderated prior to posting. Encyclopedia of Milwaukee reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Copyright, Privacy, and Terms & Conditions.
Have a suggestion for a new topic? Please use the Site Contact Form.