The Arkansas Whig Party was the affiliate of the American Whig Party in the state of Arkansas. Led by Robert Crittenden, the Whigs emerged to oppose "The Family" Democratic political machine, to support federal support for internal improvements such as roads and canals, to support protective tariffs, and to re-charter a national bank. The Whigs were strongest in northwestern Arkansas, while the Democrats were based in the south and east. The Whigs and Democrats of Arkansas were divided mostly along personalistic lines, and both parties were guilty of financial mismanagement, speculation, and embezzlement. By the 1840s, the Whigs found support in the southern and eastern portions of the state, where slavery and plantation agriculture were more well-established and there were fewer Democratic yeoman farmers. Both parties had adherents all over the state, however. The Whigs were rarely successful in winning any regular statewide races from the 1830s to 1840s, often failing to field candidates. They typically held around a quarter of the state legislature, but they never won a majority of the electorate. The slavery issue caused the party to split between pro and anti-slavery factions, and between the Democrats and Know Nothings.