Van Buren’s move into the ranks of the Jacksonians also represented a deliberate attempt to revive the two-party system in American politics. Unlike the Founding Fathers, who cursed parties as divisive and destructive, the Magician regarded the party system as essential for representative government. Modern, efficient government, he argued, demanded well-functioning political parties openly arrayed against each other. Without parties, a democracy cannot function. A well-defined two-party system provides a balance of power between opposing forces, and this in turn safeguards liberty and the
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