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The 34th Congress was a transition from the Second Party System (characterized by the Whig and Democratic parties) and the Third Party System (characterized by the Republican and Democratic parties). By the 34th Congress, the Whig Party had suffered a fatal decline, and opponents of the Democratic party ran under a wide and varied number of labels across the country. With the exception of members elected and voting as members of the American ("Know-Nothing") Party, Voteview.com lists all other anti-Democratic legislator in the 34th Congress as "Opposition" (following the convention in Martis, Ken. The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United State Congress, 1789-1989). By the 35th Congress, members of the Opposition group had largely joined the new Republican Party, and so the Opposition designation is no longer used.