Final answer:
The Republican Party split due to differences over federal government intervention, creating the Liberal Republicans, while the decline of the Whigs paved the way for the rise of the Know-Nothing and Republican parties. The Know-Nothings were anti-immigration, while the Republicans focused on preventing slavery expansion and economic development in the North.
Step-by-step explanation:
Split Within the Republican Party
The Republican Party experienced an internal split due to disagreements over the role of the federal government. Some Republicans, advocating for minimal federal intervention and known as Liberal Republicans, formed their own faction. Meanwhile, the Whig Party encountered its own decline, leading to the rise of other parties like the Know-Nothing or American Party and the Republican Party, which became the second-largest nation-wide party primarily in the North.
New Political Parties and Their Platforms
The Know-Nothing Party, also known as the American Party, emerged with a platform based on nativism, opposing immigration and favoring native-born Americans. On the other hand, the Republican Party pledged to stop the expansion of slavery and became a solidly northern party. Over time, they also advocated for policies such as free homesteads in the West, a protective tariff, a transcontinental railroad, and political rights for immigrants, distancing themselves from the nativist movement.