Omar Bennett
The American Constitution, drafted in 1787, makes no mention of political parties, and this was not an oversight. The framers of the Constitution wanted to avoid the divisions that had led to the bloody civil wars of the 17th century in England. Political parties were seen as divisive and corrupt relics of the monarchical British system, and the term 'faction' was used instead. The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, wanted a strong national government, while the Anti-Federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson, advocated for states' rights and an agrarian society. These disputes over the interpretation and ratification of the Constitution led to the emergence of political parties, with the Democratic-Republican Party, the forerunner of today's Democratic Party, forming in response to Hamilton's financial programs.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Political parties were not mentioned in the US Constitution | The US Constitution does not mention political parties |
| Political parties emerged through debate | Disputes over the ratification of the Constitution led to the emergence of political parties |
| Factions | The term "faction" was used at the time instead of "party" |
| Unity | George Washington believed that political parties would divide the country and that unity was necessary for a democratic republic to survive |
| Factions viewed as divisive | Factions were considered divisive and not in line with the idea of political leaders being men of virtue |
| Factions as corrupt | The framers of the Constitution saw factions as corrupt relics of the monarchical British system |
| Civil war | The Founding Fathers wanted to avoid civil war, which they had witnessed in England |
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What You'll Learn
- The term party was not frequently used, factions was preferred
- Factions were considered divisive and not virtuous
- Federalists and Anti-Federalists emerged from the debate over the Constitution
- George Washington believed parties would divide and destroy the US
- Political parties were considered a necessary evil
The term party was not frequently used, factions was preferred
The United States Constitution, drafted in 1787, makes no mention of political parties. The omission was intentional, as the framers of the Constitution wanted to avoid the divisions that had plagued England during the bloody civil wars of the 17th century. They viewed political parties as corrupt relics of the monarchical British system that they were trying to escape. The term "party" was not frequently used at the time; instead, the term "faction" was preferred. No one wanted to be identified as a member of a faction, as they were considered divisive and contrary to the idea of political leaders or rulers being men of virtue.
During the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, two factions emerged: the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, wanted a strong national government where state governments were subordinate to the national government. The Anti-Federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson, wanted a new government where state governments superseded the national government. These factions began to coalesce into political parties during the struggle over the ratification of the Constitution, with Federalists and Anti-Federalists clashing over the interpretation of the Constitution and the role of the federal government.
The formation of political parties was influenced by disputes such as the establishment of a national bank and the interpretation of the Necessary and Proper Clause. Hamilton's desire to create a National Bank to give the government financial stability became a contentious issue, with Jefferson and his supporters opposing the idea due to their strict constructionist interpretation of the Constitution. These disputes contributed to the emergence of distinct political parties, with Hamilton's supporters becoming known as Federalists and Jefferson's supporters becoming known as Democratic-Republicans.
While George Washington remained above the fray, wanting to be a president for all Americans, he recognized the divisive nature of political parties. In his Farewell Address in 1796, he warned against ""the baneful effects of the spirit of party," believing that unity was necessary for the survival of the young republic. Despite Washington's concerns, political parties became a permanent fixture of American elections, with the two-party system solidifying by 1860, even as the nation stood on the brink of civil war.
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Factions were considered divisive and not virtuous
The American Constitution, drafted in 1787, makes no mention of political parties. This was intentional, as the framers of the Constitution viewed political parties as a potential source of division and conflict. At the time, the term "faction" was used instead of "party", and these factions were considered at odds with the idea of virtuous leadership. The early Republican period in America prized leaders who put aside self-interest for the common good. George Washington, the first president, exemplified this ideal and was beloved across the original thirteen states.
During the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, two factions emerged: the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists, including Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, wanted a strong national government, while the Anti-Federalists, including Patrick Henry and George Mason, advocated for state governments to supersede the national government. These factions were not formally organised political parties, but rather groups with differing interpretations of the Constitution.
The Federalists and Anti-Federalists began to coalesce into more formal political factions during the struggle over the ratification of the Constitution. This process was influenced by the debate over the creation of a national bank, with Federalists supporting the idea and Anti-Federalists opposing it due to fears of centralised power. The emergence of political parties was also influenced by disputes over the interpretation of the Necessary and Proper Clause, with "strict constructionists" like Thomas Jefferson arguing for a narrow interpretation of the Constitution, while others, like Hamilton, supported a more flexible reading.
The formation of political parties was a concern for George Washington, who believed that they would be divisive and destructive to the young nation. In his Farewell Address in 1796, he warned against "the baneful effects of the spirit of party", arguing that it distracted the public and enfeebled the government. Despite Washington's concerns, political parties became a permanent fixture of American elections soon after he left office.
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Federalists and Anti-Federalists emerged from the debate over the Constitution
The United States Constitution, drafted in 1787, makes no mention of political parties, and it did not anticipate them. Political parties emerged through the rancorous debate over the shaping of the Constitution and the subsequent issues that followed based on interpretation.
During the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, two factions emerged: the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists, including Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, wanted to see a strong national government in which state governments were subordinate to the national government. They believed in a loose constructionist interpretation of the Constitution. In contrast, the Anti-Federalists, including Patrick Henry and George Mason, wanted a new government in which state governments superseded the national government. They advocated for a strict constructionist interpretation of the Constitution. The Anti-Federalists failed to prevent the adoption of the Constitution, but their efforts were not entirely in vain. They succeeded in attaching a list of proposed additions that had to be considered before some states, like New York, would fully participate in the new government.
The Federalists and Anti-Federalists held meetings and marches across the country to gain support, which sometimes became violent. For example, in July 1788, a battle broke out between Federalists and Anti-Federalists in Albany, New York, with both sides fighting "with the greatest rage". Despite the contentious debates, the Federalists were ultimately successful in bringing New York into the nationalist camp.
After the Constitutional Convention ended in September 1787, each state needed to hold a Ratification Convention to ratify or endorse the new Constitution. To bolster their argument for a strong national government, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay drafted 85 essays under the pseudonym "Publius" explaining how the Constitution worked. These writings, collectively called The Federalist Papers, helped convince states to ratify the Constitution. When New Hampshire became the ninth state on June 21, 1788, to ratify, the Constitution became binding.
The election of the first president, George Washington, occurred in 1789. Washington wanted to be a president of all American citizens and believed that unity was necessary for a democratic republic to survive. He specifically warned against "the baneful effects of the spirit of party" in his farewell address in 1796, fearing that political parties would divide and destroy the young United States. However, political parties became a permanent fixture of American elections soon after he retired from office.
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George Washington believed parties would divide and destroy the US
The United States Constitution, drafted in 1787, makes no mention of political parties. Political parties emerged through the rancorous debate over the shaping of the Constitution and the subsequent issues that followed based on interpretation. During the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, two factions emerged: the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists, including Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, wanted to see a strong national government in which state governments were subordinate to the national government. The Anti-Federalists, including Patrick Henry and George Mason, wanted a new government in which state governments superseded the national government.
George Washington, the first president of the United States, believed that political parties would divide and destroy the young nation. He wanted to remain above the fray and be a president of all the American citizens. In his Farewell Address in 1796, Washington warned the nation of the negative impact that opposing political parties could have on the country:
> "The spirit of party" serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.
Washington feared that partisanship would lead to a "spirit of revenge" in which party members would not govern for the good of the people, but for power. He believed that unity, not division, was necessary for a democratic republic to survive. During his political life, and until his death in 1799, Washington was confident that the country could and should function without the existence of political parties.
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Political parties were considered a necessary evil
The US Constitution, drafted in 1787, makes no mention of political parties. This was not an oversight but a conscious decision by the Founding Fathers, who viewed political parties as a "necessary evil". The framers of the Constitution wanted to avoid the divisions and violence that had plagued England during the 17th century's civil wars. They saw political parties as corrupt relics of the monarchical British system, which they sought to replace with a democratic government.
During the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, two factions emerged: the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, wanted a strong national government, while the Anti-Federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson, advocated for states' rights and opposed centralised power. These factions were considered divisive, and the term "faction" was used instead of "party" as it was associated with self-interest and was seen as contrary to the idea of virtuous leadership.
Despite their efforts, political parties began to emerge during Washington's administration, with disputes over the interpretation of the Constitution and issues such as the establishment of a national bank. Washington himself warned against "the baneful effects of the spirit of party" in his farewell address in 1796, believing that political parties would divide and destroy the young nation. However, by the mid-1790s, the Democratic-Republicans (forerunners of today's Democratic Party) and Federalists were bitterly attacking each other in competing newspapers over their opinions of Washington's administration policies.
The two-party system we know today, with Democrats and Republicans, was in place by 1860, even as the nation stood on the brink of the civil war that Washington and the Founding Fathers had sought to avoid.
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Frequently asked questions
The Founding Fathers believed that political parties would divide and destroy the young United States. They wanted to avoid the divisions that had led to the bloody civil wars of the 17th century in England. They saw parties as corrupt relics of the monarchical British system that they wanted to discard in favour of a truly democratic government.
The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, wanted a strong central government. The Anti-Federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson, advocated states' rights instead of centralised power.
Political parties emerged through the rancorous debate over the shaping of the United States Constitution and the subsequent issues that followed based on interpretation of the Constitution.
