I’m looking for what type of economic or social issues caused the republican, whigs, and other parties to be created. I can’t really find anything else besides slavery, which was obviously being debated between the north and the south. Any help would be appreciated.
The original debate was really over the size of the government and the adoption of the British banking system where by the government would pay the interest on the debt and issue bonds. This was more of the Federalist list whilst the Democratic Republicans, Jefferson's faction, would take a more pro French line. The Federalist were more upper class whilst the DR were more middle class.
Democrats emerge with Jackson and the increase in popular voting plus the 1824 Election with seeing John Quincy Adams beat Andrew Jackson.
Slavery really comes into the matter after 1830's with the invention of the cotton gin, though I believe it is invented early.
Good books on the topic are the Oxford History of the United States.