Isabella Carter
The formation of political parties in the United States was not anticipated by the Founding Fathers, who considered them divisive and contrary to the notion of virtuous leadership. The Constitution itself makes no mention of political parties. However, during George Washington's presidency, factions began to form around prominent figures such as Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, who disagreed on the interpretation of the Constitution and the extent of federal power. Hamilton's supporters became known as Federalists, while Jefferson's faction was called the Anti-Administration party, and these groups laid the groundwork for the country's first political parties, with the Federalists promoting a strong central government and the Anti-Federalists advocating for states' rights.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Political parties were not expected to emerge | The framers of the Constitution did not want political parties to emerge as they considered them divisive |
| Formation of political parties | Political factions or parties began to form during the struggle over ratification of the federal Constitution of 1787 |
| First political parties | The first political parties were the Federalist Party and the Anti-Administration party (Anti-Federalists) |
| Founders' beliefs about political parties | The founders believed that political parties would play no formal role in the new government and thought of them as "factions" acting only for their own selfish interests |
| First President's views | The first President of the United States, George Washington, hoped that political parties would not form, fearing conflict and stagnation |
| First Party System | The First Party System was the political party system in the United States between roughly 1792 and 1824, featuring the Federalist Party and the Jeffersonian Democratic-Republican Party |
| Federalist Party's power decline | The Federalist Party's power declined and the Whig Party rose to prominence in the early 19th century |
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What You'll Learn
The Federalist Party
Political parties were not mentioned in the US Constitution, and the Founding Fathers did not intend for American politics to be partisan. However, political parties developed shortly after the Constitution was ratified, with the Federalist Party and the Anti-Federalist Party being the first two parties to emerge.
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The Anti-Administration Party
The party's opposition to Hamilton's financial policies continued, with Madison and Hamilton clashing over the creation of a national bank in 1791. Madison deemed the bank unconstitutional, while Hamilton successfully argued that the Necessary and Proper Clause of the Constitution permitted its establishment. The French Revolutionary Wars further solidified the differences between the factions, with the Anti-Administration Party supporting the French, while the Pro-Administration party generally favored the British or neutrality.
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The First Party System
The Federalists, created largely by Alexander Hamilton, were dominant until 1800. They succeeded the Pro-Administration faction that favoured Washington's policies, appealed to the business community, and had their base in the North. The Federalists wanted a strong central government and coalesced around the commercial sector of the country.
The Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, were dominant after 1800. They relied on support from planters and farmers in their base in the South. The Republicans, like the Anti-Administration faction before them, advocated for states' rights instead of centralized power and drew their strength from those favouring an agrarian society.
The emergence of these two parties was driven by philosophical differences that arose during the Constitutional Convention and the ratification process that followed. Divisions formed between those who supported and opposed the Constitution, with Federalists and Anti-Federalists emerging as labels for these groups. While these early divisions did not yet constitute formal political parties, they laid the foundation for the political rivalries that would later emerge.
By the presidential election of 1796, the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans had become firmly established as the first major political parties in the United States. The Federalists, led by Hamilton, favoured a broad interpretation of the Constitution, while the Democratic-Republicans, led by Jefferson and Madison, advocated for a strict interpretation.
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The Founding Fathers' views on political parties
The Founding Fathers of the United States were wary of political parties, deliberately omitting them from the Constitution. They wanted to avoid the divisions that had led to civil wars in England during the previous century. They saw parties, or "factions", as corrupt relics of the monarchical British system that they had overthrown.
George Washington, for instance, wanted to be a president for all American citizens and believed that unity was necessary for a democratic republic to survive. In his Farewell Address, published in newspapers across the country in 1796, he warned that partisanship would lead to a “spirit of revenge”, with party members seeking power rather than governing for the good of the people. Similarly, Alexander Hamilton once called political parties “the most fatal disease” of popular governments. John Adams wrote: "A division of the republic into two great parties … is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil." Thomas Jefferson wrote: “If I could not go to heaven but with a party, I would not go there at all.” Benjamin Franklin and James Madison also expressed fears that ambition and greed might lead to factions that could threaten the stability of the new government.
Despite these concerns, political factions quickly arose in support of or opposition to the Constitution itself. By the presidential election of 1796, political parties were firmly established in America. The two-party system we know today had fallen into place by 1860, even as the nation stood on the brink of civil war.
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The two-party system
The founding fathers of the United States did not originally intend for American politics to be partisan. They considered political parties to be ["factions"acting only for their own selfish interests rather than the public good. They believed that political parties would play no formal role in the new government.
However, political parties developed soon after the Constitution was ratified. The First Party System, between 1792 and 1824, featured two national parties competing for control of the presidency, Congress, and the states: the Federalist Party, created by Alexander Hamilton, and the Jeffersonian Democratic-Republican Party, formed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. The Federalists were dominant until 1800, when they were swept out of power in a critical election, and the Democratic-Republicans took over.
The Federalists supported a strong central government and a broad interpretation of the Constitution, while the Democratic-Republicans, based in the plantation South, opposed strong executive power, a standing army and navy, and supported states' rights and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. The Federalists were in favour of Britain, while the Democratic-Republicans admired France and the French Revolution.
Over time, political parties continued to change, disband, and re-platform, but American electoral politics remained dominated by two major political parties. Since the 1850s, these have been the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, which have evolved in terms of ideologies and support bases over time.
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Frequently asked questions
The Founding Fathers did not originally intend for American politics to be partisan. They considered political parties to be ["factions"acting only for their own selfish interests and not for the public good. However, political parties developed as a result of differing views on how the Constitution should be interpreted.
The first political parties were the Federalist Party, created by Alexander Hamilton, and the Anti-Administration Party (later the Democratic-Republican Party), led by Thomas Jefferson.
The Federalists wanted a strong central government and a loose constructionist interpretation of the Constitution. They were dominant in the commercial sector and had their base in the North. On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists advocated for states' rights and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. They relied on support from those in favour of an agrarian society and had their base in the South.
The Federalist Party's power declined over time. In the 1800 election, they lost power to the Democratic-Republican Party. The Federalists were also hurt by the semi-secret "Hartford Convention", where resolutions passed verged on secession. By the 1820s, they did not nominate a candidate for president, and the Republican Party had absorbed many former Federalists.
