<P> The Third Party System is a term of periodization used by historians and political scientists to describe the history of political parties in the United States from 1854 until the mid-1890s , which featured profound developments in issues of American nationalism , modernization , and race . This period , the later part of which is often termed the Gilded Age , is defined by its contrast with the eras of the Second Party System and the Fourth Party System . </P>
during which time period did the third party system take place in american politics answers.com
from 1854 until the mid-1890s