The Constitution's Political Parties: Republicans And Democrats?

The US Constitution was written in 1787, and political parties were new in the United States at the time. There were no formal political parties at the national level, but there were factions: the Federalists, who supported the Constitution, and the Anti-Federalists, who opposed it. The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, wanted a strong central government, while the Anti-Federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson, advocated for states' rights. After the Constitution was ratified in 1788, George Washington won the votes of every member of the Electoral College, becoming the first president. The Democratic-Republican Party, the first opposition party in the US, was organized in 1792, and its members held power from 1801 to 1825. The modern Democratic Party is a direct descendant of this party.

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The Federalist Party

Hamilton proposed to fund the national and state debts, and Madison and John J. Beckley began organizing a party to oppose it. This "Anti-Administration" faction became what is now called the Democratic-Republican Party, led by Madison and Thomas Jefferson. This party attracted many Anti-Federalists who were wary of a centralized government. By the early 1790s, newspapers started calling Hamilton supporters "Federalists" and their opponents "Republicans", "Jeffersonians", or "Democratic-Republicans". Jefferson's supporters usually called themselves "Republicans" and their party the "Republican Party".

The Democratic-Republican Party

During the two terms of President George Washington (1789-1797), many former Anti-Federalists, who had resisted the adoption of the new federal Constitution in 1787, began to unite in opposition to the fiscal program of Alexander Hamilton, the secretary of the treasury. In 1791, Hamilton and other proponents of a strong central government and a loose interpretation of the Constitution formed the Federalist Party. In response, those who favoured states' rights and a strict interpretation of the Constitution rallied under Thomas Jefferson, who had served as Washington's first secretary of state.

Jefferson's followers became known as the Republicans (or sometimes Democratic-Republicans), while Hamilton's supporters became the Federalists. The Democratic-Republicans were strongest in the South and the western frontier and weakest in New England. The party attracted middle-class Northerners, such as artisans, farmers, and lower-level merchants, who wanted to challenge the power of the local elite. The party also included wealthy Southern slave owners.

The Democratic-Republicans attempted to scale back Federalist programs, but they ultimately retained many of the institutions they had criticised. For example, the Bank of the United States was maintained until its charter expired in 1811. Jefferson made efforts to make his administration appear more democratic and egalitarian. He walked to his inauguration instead of riding in a coach and sent his annual message to Congress by messenger rather than delivering it in person.

In foreign policy, the Democratic-Republicans favoured France, which had supported the Colonies during the Revolution, over Great Britain. However, this stance faded after Napoleon took power. The party advocated for western expansion, and during the War of 1812 with Britain, Madison and other party leaders came to accept the need for a national bank and federally funded infrastructure projects.

After the War of 1812, the Democratic-Republicans began to fracture, and by the 1820s, the party existed more as a loose coalition of factions than a united political group. The party's fissures were fully exposed in the 1824 election, when the leaders of the two major factions, Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams, were both nominated for president. Despite Jackson winning the popular vote and a plurality in the electoral college, the House of Representatives decided the presidency, and Adams was elected.

Following the 1824 election, the Democratic-Republicans formally split into two groups: the National Republicans, who became the nucleus of the Whig Party, and the Democratic-Republicans, who were organised by Martin Van Buren and led by Jackson. During Jackson's presidency (1829-1837), they dropped the Republican label and called themselves Democrats or Jacksonian Democrats. The name "Democratic Party" was officially adopted in 1844.

The Constitution's ratification

The ratification of the US Constitution was a long and arduous process. The country was governed by the Articles of Confederation, which allowed states to act more like independent, sovereign countries. However, it became clear that future stability required a stronger, more centralized government.

New York's Alexander Hamilton led the call for a constitutional convention to re-evaluate the nation's governing document. All 13 states sent representatives to the convention in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787. The convention's initial purpose was to amend the Articles of Confederation, but the outcome was the proposal and creation of a new form of government.

The convention concluded on September 17, 1787, with the signing of the new US Constitution by 38 of the 41 delegates present. The document would not be binding until ratified by nine of the 13 existing states. Hamilton and James Madison led the lobbying efforts, producing 85 essays known as "The Federalist Papers" to explain and defend the proposed government.

Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, making the Constitution the official framework of the US government. The remaining four states eventually ratified the Constitution by May 29, 1790, and the Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791.

The Constitution established a federal government with more specific powers, including conducting foreign relations. It created a model of government with checks and balances, dividing federal authority between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. The executive branch was established to handle routine paperwork, but it acquired more power during deliberations, including the authority to conduct foreign relations. The Constitution also provided for the management of foreign affairs, which was tested in 1794 when the Senate considered a controversial treaty with Great Britain.

The process of ratifying the US Constitution was a significant milestone in the country's history, establishing a stronger and more centralized government to address the challenges faced by the young nation.

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The first US election

At the time, no formal political parties existed, and no party made a nomination for the presidency. However, political opinions were loosely divided between those who enthusiastically endorsed the ratification of the Constitution, called Federalists or Cosmopolitans, and those who were more reluctant or opposed to it, called Anti-Federalists or Localists. Both factions supported Washington for president.

The outgoing Congress of the Confederation announced the election procedure on September 13, 1788, stating that all electors must be chosen on January 7, 1789, and would cast their votes on February 4, 1789. However, the interpretation of this procedure varied across states. Only six of the ten states casting electoral votes chose electors by any form of popular vote, and less than 1.8% of the population voted.

The evolution of political parties

The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention. At the time, there were no formal political parties in the United States. However, the country was broadly divided between Federalists, who supported the ratification of the Constitution, and Anti-Federalists, who opposed it.

The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, wrote a series of essays known as the Federalist Papers, which encouraged Americans to adopt the new Constitution and its stronger central government. The Anti-Federalists, such as Thomas Jefferson, feared that a concentration of central authority might lead to a loss of individual and states' rights.

In the years following the ratification of the Constitution, these two factions evolved into the first major political parties in the United States: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. The Federalists officially became a party in 1791, and the Democratic-Republicans were organized in 1792. The Democratic-Republican Party was the first opposition political party in the United States, and it held power nationally from 1801 to 1825.

The Democratic-Republican Party was led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, and its members included wealthy, aristocratic Southern planters as well as middle-class Northerners such as artisans, farmers, and lower-level merchants. The party emphasized states' rights, agrarian interests, and democratic procedures. During the War of 1812, Madison and other party leaders came to accept the need for a national bank and federally funded infrastructure projects.

After the War of 1812, the Federalists collapsed, and the Democratic-Republicans began to split into rival factions. One faction, led by John Quincy Adams, became known as the National Republican Party, which later merged into the Whig Party. The other faction, led by Andrew Jackson, became the Democratic Party.

Over time, the platforms and ideologies of political parties in the United States continued to evolve. By the twentieth century, the Democratic and Republican Parties had emerged as the dominant players in American politics. Today, the United States operates within a two-party system, with the Democratic and Republican Parties as the most influential, but other parties, such as the Libertarian and Green Parties, also participate in presidential elections.

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