Fletcher W. Hewes & Henry Gannett, Supremacy of Parties and Increase of the Popular Vote (1883)

This visualization illustrates the rise and fall of political parties in United States' history through 1881, as well as voter turnout throughout the same period. It was produced by Fletcher W. Hewes and Henry Gannett, and included in Scribner's Statistical Atlas of the United States (1883). Text boxes for each presidential administration from George Washington (1789) to James Garfield (1881) provide contextual details in the form of an “Historical Synopsis” and a summary titled “Attitude of Parties.” These include important economic and socio-political events of the time, (e.g. prohibition of the slave trade, 1807; tariffs reduced, 1869; Democratic Party opposes Chinese immigration, 1876). The timeline depicts the evolution from early political factions to the establishment of more clearly defined political parties. For example, the rise of the Republican Party is demonstrated in 1864 with the re-election of Abraham Lincoln, through the period of Reconstruction. The chart also depicts the decline of earlier political parties like the Whig party. The visualization helps to explain how Democrats and Republicans responded to labor organization and reform, monetary policy, and business regulation, as well as pre- and post-bellum attitudes towards immigrants and Native Americans.