The First "Third" Political Party In The United States

The Anti-Masonic movement spawned the first third political party in the United States, known as the Anti-Masonic Political Party (also known as the Anti-Masonic Movement). It occurred in upstate New York in 1828. The strange disappearance of Captain William Morgan precipitated the movement.

Captain William Morgan tried to join a new order of Masons in Batavia, New York, and when they rebuffed his attempts, he said he was going to publish a book outlining the secrets and inner workings of their fraternity. This was unthinkable to the Masons, and they tried everything they knew to stop him, finally resorting to kidnapping and murder.

When these accusations were brought against the Masons, a public outcry ensued. More and more speculation about what actually went on in their secret society became a hot topic of conversation. People feared the members of Freemasonry and believed they sought to take over their communities as an elitist group who were disparaging rules of good citizenship. Many judges and local officials were also Masons, and their actions were often called into question as they seemed to favor fellow Masons over non-Masons when making legal decisions.

Up until that time in history, there had never before been another political party to challenge the Republicans and Democrats (as they came to be known). The Anti-Masonic Party came about because of the fear elicited as a response to Morgan's kidnapping and presumed murder. The Anti-Masons capitalized on those feelings of ordinary citizens to institute a third party.

The Anti-Masonic political party is responsible for instituting the convention system. With the convention system of political voting, delegates elected at the local level choose the candidates to support. The party was considered a minor one that was basically known as a "single issue" party. This term meant the party really campaigns on just one issue, as opposed to having concerns and stands on several issues affecting society. In essence, the Anti-Masonic political party was opposed to Freemasonry, which a growing population saw as a cult and opposed to the freedoms for everyone that most people sought.

The movement began in New York and was most popular there, although it later spread to neighboring states as well. New York, at that time, was considered heavily as a political state. Martin Van Buren, a Mason and soon-to-be President of the United States in 1836, ran a "political machine" in New York that Thurlow Weed (a very strong anti-Mason) termed the "Albany Regency." The Regency was very effective at manipulating people and political situations and served as a back-up agency running Van Buren's plans while he was out of the state, serving in one political capacity or another in Washington, D.C. The Regency was just one more reason why the Anti-Masonic political party thrived at this time.

The Anti-Masonic political party was short-lived, surviving only about six years, from 1828-1834, but it was very influential in starting new political traditions, such as new convention rules, that would continue to last throughout several decades. It also gave hope to those feeling alienated that their voices could be heard.