Which two parties dominated American politics and presidential elections from 1832 to 1856?

The two parties that dominated American politics and presidential elections from 1832 to 1856 were the Democratic Party and the Whig Party.

The Democratic Party, the older of the two, was founded around 1828, evolving from the Democratic-Republican Party founded by Thomas Jefferson. Its primary supporter, Andrew Jackson, became the first Democratic President in 1829. The Democratic Party generally favored states' rights and opposed policies that would strengthen the federal government at the expense of state sovereignty.

The Whig Party was formed in opposition to President Andrew Jackson and his policies, which opponents viewed as autocratic or "king-like." The Whigs favored a strong federal government, protective tariffs, a national banking system, and federal aid for internal improvements such as roads and canals.

The Whig Party was responsible for electing four presidents: William Henry Harrison (1841), John Tyler (who became president upon Harrison's death in office), Zachary Taylor (1849), and Millard Fillmore (who became president after Taylor's death). However, by the mid-1850s, the party began to split and weaken, largely due to internal divisions over the issue of slavery, which was becoming increasingly polarizing in American politics.

By contrast, the Democratic Party managed to elect several notable presidents in this period, including Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, James K. Polk, and Franklin Pierce.

The dissolution of the Whigs, combined with the rising tensions over slavery, gave rise to the Republican Party in the 1850s. The founding of the Republican Party marked the end of the Whig Party and the second party system in the United States. The Republican Party positioned itself against the expansion of slavery into the new territories and thus attracted a wide following of abolitionists, former Whigs, Free Soilers, and anti-slavery Democrats. This realignment led to the election of the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, in 1860, and heralded the Civil War as the country grappled with the divisive issue of slavery.