The Democratic Party arose from a schism within the Democratic-Republican Party, which was founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, due to significant disagreements in ideas on slavery, equality, and the importance of centralized government over the authority of individual states. Thus, the Democratic Party arose from sections that broke away from the original Democratic-Republicans after the 1824 elections and who adhered to Andrew Jackson's views, particularly on slavery and government engagement in all parts of American society. Originally, this party was united around three tenets: slavery, individual rights, and state sovereignty. In essence, they claimed to be the "ordinary man's" party.
However, following a time of good unity and consistent victories against the then opposing party, the Whig Party, disagreements began to arise between Democrat members of the North and those of the South, particularly on the question of slavery and permitting this institution to grow to newly acquired territory. The crisis began in the 1850s, when the question of slavery split the party into Northern and Southern groups. The rift occurred because Democrats from the North were unwilling to negotiate some issues with those from the South. As a result, the War Democrats and the Copperheads formed a coalition. The outcome of this separation was not only the formation of new groupings, particularly those who, while Democrats, did not believe in any kind of slavery, but also the provision of time and space for the Whig Party to restructure and become the Republican Party. This is why Republicans were able to reclaim the presidency with Abraham Lincoln, and why so many of the ideas that Democrats opposed became legislation in the United States.
Thanks,
Eddie