No method for choosing Presidential elect ors was prescribed by the Constitution, that matter being left to each State to determine for itself. Three systems were employed in the early elections. In some of the States the legisla tures chose the electors. In others candidates were nominated in large assemblies of promi nent citizens, including members of the legisla ture, which foreshadowed the State conven tions of later days. Names so chosen were placed upon the general ticket of the party. Other States elected the electors by Congres sional districts. The general ticket system gained ground over the others until by the year 1860 it was practically universal. The su premacy of the Congressional caucus, supple mented as it was by the power of the legisla tive caucus in the States, transferred the po litical authority of a free, democratic peo ple to the hands of a few powerful leaders. The effects of the popular dissatisfaction with this form of party organization were apparent first in the yielding of the caucus in some of the States. The districts where the party was in a minority complained that they were un represented in the legislative caucus, and in concession to their demands a modified form of the caucus began to be used (first in Rhode Island) about 1807. This was known as the "mixed caucus," and was composed of the party members of the legislature together with dele gates elected by the party in the districts in which the party sent no representatives to the legislature. Some 10 years later still further concession was made to public sentiment (first in Pennsylvania), by substituting a "mixed con vention" for the mixed caucus. This also was made up of delegates popularly elected in the counties, along with members of the legislature, but the members of the legislature were per mitted to sit in the convention only when they represented counties from which no special dele gates had been chosen.
From 1817 to the final overthrow of the legislative caucus, wl.ich for nearly all of the States was completed in 1832, the mixed con vention was preparing the way for the ad vent of a truly representative nominating ma chinery, the State convention. Pennsylvania was again the first State to take the advance step. In like manner the Congressional caucus gave way slowly before the popular distrust, but its ultimate destruction became certain. when, in 1816, it manifested a determination to force upon the Republican party an unaccept able candidate for the Presidency. It was called again in 1820, but, in the face of the manifest temper of the people, decided to take no action. In 1824 it did once more and for the last time put forth candidates, but only a minority of the party members of Congress participated and it commanded no respect.
The Federalist party received a mortal blow in the election of 1800 and was slowly dying throughout the period of the dominance of the caucus. It held no more national caucuses, hut in a variety of ways announced its candi dates. In 1812 the Federalists held what has been called, though improperly, the first na tional convention. It was composed of dele gates from 11 States, who met as a peace party to .oppose the war with England. They adopted
the candidates already nominated by the Peace Republicans, who had "bolted" the regular party ticket. During the unsettled period between the Congressional caucus and the national con vention, State and local party agencies of di verse forms acted as nominating bodies. The legislative caucus was still active in some States; the assemblies themselves, as such, sometimes chose candidates; mass conventions, county conventions, district conventions and popular mass meetings, all nominated Presiden tial candidates, and some of those gatherings tooks pains to declare that they would not be bound by the proceedings of an Congressional caucus. All available means were made use of to render clear the final condemnation by the people of the objectionable party organ. Having been tried and found wanting, it was swept aside, to give place to any agency more in consonance with the national spirit. Though a Congressional party caucus is at the present day an acceptable part of the national party organization, it does not exercise the nominating function.
Nomination by conference or by preliminary meetings of party supporters which might be called conventions, had always been practised in the States and local areas and the use of a convention for nominating the chief executive officers of the nation was the application of a principle already familiar to the people. The first of the long series of modern national nom inating conventions was that of the ephemeral Anti-Masonic. party, which met in Baltimore, 8 Sept. 1831, having representatives from 13 States. A long "Address to the People of the United States" set forth the principles of the party somewhat after the manner of the platforms of later years and Presidential candi dates were nominated. The political import ance of this convention is not great, and it is significant only as standing first on the list. The two leading parties quickly adopted the convention method in national politics. In December 1831 the National Republicans — suc cessors to the Federalists and predecessors of the Whigs—met in pursuance of a call by a legislative caucus in Marlyand. All opposed to the existing administration of Andrew Jackson were invited to send delegates. Eighteen States and the District of Columbia responded and the convention laid plans for rendering the new organ a permanent part of party machinery. The first Democratic national convention, which met in May 1832, was called by New Hamp shire politicians and was composed of dele gates from all the States except Missouri. The National Republicans were now giving place to the Whigs, and in the unsettled state of political affairs that party held no national con vention in 1836, but legislatures and legisla tive caucuses put forth candidates. A Demo cratic convention was held, and that party has thenceforth convened with uninterrupted regularity in national convention to nominate party candidates for Federal elective office. By the year 1840 the Whigs also were equipped with adequate machinery and held their nomi nating conventions with regularity thereafter.