The Rise and Fall of American Political Parties and Administrations, from 1789 to 1880

Regular price
$ 179.95
Sale price
$ 179.95
Regular price
$ 0
Sold out
Unit price
Quantity must be 1 or more

Very high-quality reproductions of two famous diagrams on national politics and elections. Printed at the same size (12 3/4" x 55 1/8") as the originals. Exclusively from The History List. Sold as a set.

  • Political Parties Starting from Colonial period through the Hayes Presidency, with key events, platforms and policies during their administration. This is the diagram with the interconnected lines.
  • Administrations Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates, from 1789 to 1880 with the Electoral and Popular Additional information about each of the presidents, including key events, platforms and policies during their administration. This is the grid.

Shown on display in July 2021 in the Smithsonian Museum of American History’s exhibit, “American Democracy.” Ours is based on an original that is in much better condition and the result is a clear, crisp print with vibrant colors.

Reproduced from an original edition of the Conspectus of the History of Political Parties and the Federal Government, Walter R. Houghton, A.M., published in 1880.

"I've wanted to offer this for several years, and was able to finally track down the original book that contained these. They are printed from high-resolution scans of that 141-year old print, and while all the text is clear and readable, the prints contain the coloration and foxing of the original."

— Lee Wright | Founder | The History List

Size: 12 3/4" x 55 1/8" (Note: This is the correct size, not the size stated in the video.)

About the paper weight and printing process: Printed in the USA on a heavyweight matte paper.


From the National Museum of American History:

"This ambitious chart presents U.S. political history on a single page. Moving from left to right, a timeline of parties, policies, persons, and events courses like a river through graphic space marked in four-year intervals. The analogy between politics and springs and rivulets (that jump and rejoin their banks) is the most conspicuous feature of the timeline. The parties appear in different colors. The ascendance of a party is gauged as its stream rises above the centerline, and above the streams of other parties. The thickness of a stream indicates the party’s strength.
"The diagram is meant to dramatize U.S. political history in a more accessible shape for educators and to offer a ready reference for scholars, statisticians, and statesmen."

Go to full site