Eleanor Finch
The framers of the Constitution were against political parties because they believed that they were factions—a dissatisfied group formed within a larger group. The framers thought that factions might fight to promote the interests of their own members, and that the strongest faction would then control the government. In such a case, the government would not protect equally the rights and interests of all the people; instead, it would promote the interests of the party in power. The framers also wanted to avoid the divisions that had ripped England apart in the bloody civil wars of the 17th century.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Political parties were considered divisive | N/A |
| Political parties were considered factions | N/A |
| Factions were considered a dissatisfied group formed within a larger group | N/A |
| Factions might fight to promote the interests of their own members | N/A |
| The strongest faction would control the government | N/A |
| The government would promote the interests of the party in power | N/A |
| Political parties were considered corrupt relics of the monarchical British system | N/A |
| Political parties were considered a threat to decentralization | N/A |
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What You'll Learn
Political parties were seen as a threat to democracy
The framers of the Constitution were against political parties as they saw them as a threat to democracy. They believed that political parties would lead to divisions within the nation and potentially tear it apart. The emergence of political parties contradicted their vision of a truly democratic government.
The Founding Fathers' aversion to political parties can be traced back to the bitter memories of England's civil wars in the 17th century. They viewed political parties or "factions" as corrupt remnants of the monarchical British system, which they sought to replace with a democratic form of governance. Alexander Hamilton, for instance, once referred to political parties as "the most fatal disease" of popular governments.
The framers of the Constitution feared that political parties would result in factionalism, where dissatisfied groups within the larger group would emerge. These factions might then compete to promote their interests, leading to a power struggle. In such a scenario, the government would risk becoming controlled by the strongest faction, resulting in the government promoting the interests of the dominant party rather than equally protecting the rights and interests of all citizens.
This concern about the emergence of factions and the potential threat to democracy was articulated by George Washington in his farewell address as president in 1796. He warned of the divisive influence of factions on democracy, stating, "The common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it." Washington's efforts to foster unity and prevent the flourishing of factions were evident in his decision to include Thomas Jefferson in his Cabinet, despite their differing political viewpoints.
Despite the framers' initial intentions, the emergence of political parties became inevitable. During Washington's presidency, factions began to form around influential figures such as Alexander Hamilton, the Secretary of the Treasury, and Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State. These factions eventually evolved into the nation's first two political parties, with Hamilton leading the Federalist Party and Jefferson and Madison forming the Democratic-Republican Party.
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Parties were considered divisive
The framers of the Constitution did not want political parties to emerge because they considered them divisive. They believed that political parties were factions—a dissatisfied group formed within a larger group. The framers thought that factions might fight to promote the interests of their own members, and that the strongest faction would then control the government. In such a case, the government would not protect equally the rights and interests of all the people; instead, it would promote the interests of the party in power.
The framers' fears were not unfounded. During the presidency of George Washington, factions soon formed around dominant personalities such as Alexander Hamilton, the Secretary of the Treasury, and Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State. Hamilton led the informal political faction known as the "Pro-Administration party", which supported a strong central government and favoured a close relationship with Britain. On the other hand, Jefferson and Madison led the "Anti-Administration party", which opposed Hamilton's broad vision of a strong central government and favoured a stronger relationship with France.
The rivalry between these factions led to a bitter presidential campaign in 1800, where John Adams of the Federalist Party narrowly defeated Jefferson. The new president moved to squash opposition by making it a federal crime to criticise the president or his administration's policies. This was not what the framers of the Constitution had envisioned, and they were right to be concerned about the divisive influence of factions on the workings of democracy.
Despite the framers' fears, political parties have become an important part of the political system in the United States. The presidential election of 1800 was also significant because it was the first time that political parties backed candidates for president.
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Parties were associated with the monarchical British system
The framers of the Constitution were against political parties because they believed that they were factions, or dissatisfied groups formed within a larger group. The framers thought that factions would fight to promote the interests of their own members, and that the strongest faction would then control the government. This would mean that the government would not protect equally the rights and interests of all the people, but would instead promote the interests of the party in power.
The framers wanted to avoid the divisions that had occurred in England during the bloody civil wars of the 17th century. They saw parties as corrupt relics of the monarchical British system, which they wanted to replace with a truly democratic government. In fact, the idea of a party brought back bitter memories for some of them. For example, George Washington's family had fled England to avoid the civil wars there, and Alexander Hamilton once called political parties "the most fatal disease" of popular governments.
Hamilton, in particular, was worried about the dangers of a strong central government, like that of Britain, usurping the rights of the states. This view influenced the drafting and passage of the Bill of Rights, which was added to the Constitution to address these concerns.
Overall, the framers of the Constitution believed that political parties were associated with the monarchical British system and would lead to division and the concentration of power in the hands of a few, rather than a democratic government that protected the rights and interests of all the people.
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Parties were seen as a form of corruption
The framers of the Constitution were against political parties as they believed that parties would lead to a government that promoted the interests of the party in power, rather than protecting the rights and interests of all people. They saw political parties as factions, or "a dissatisfied group formed within a larger group".
The framers of the Constitution wanted to avoid the divisions that had occurred in England during the bloody civil wars of the 17th century. They viewed parties as corrupt relics of the monarchical British system, which they wanted to replace with a truly democratic government. Alexander Hamilton, for example, once referred to political parties as "the most fatal disease" of popular governments.
The framers believed that political parties would be formed by those who were dissatisfied with the government. They feared that the strongest faction would control the government and promote their interests, rather than the interests of all the people. This would result in a government that was not representative of the people and could lead to disunion and the break-up of the Union.
George Washington, for instance, chose Thomas Jefferson for his cabinet to include differing political viewpoints. He wanted to avoid conflict between the two parties and prevent the Union from breaking up. In his farewell address, Washington warned of the divisive influence of factions on democracy:
> "The common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it."
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Parties could lead to a government that doesn't protect the rights of all people
The framers of the US Constitution were against political parties because they believed that they were factions—dissatisfied groups formed within a larger group. They thought that factions would fight to promote the interests of their members and that the strongest faction would then control the government. In such a case, the government would not protect equally the rights and interests of all the people. Instead, the government would promote the interests of the party in power.
The framers' fears were not unfounded. By 1796, politics in every state was monopolized by two parties, and party newspapers and caucuses became tools to mobilize voters. The Federalists, led by Hamilton, promoted a financial system that emphasized federal assumption of state debts, a tariff to pay off those debts, and a national bank. They supported a strong central government and favored Britain in foreign affairs. On the other hand, the Republicans, led by Jefferson, opposed a strong executive power, a standing army and navy, and demanded a strict reading of the Constitutional powers of the federal government. They favored France in foreign affairs due to their support during the revolution.
The presidential election of 1800 further highlighted the divisive nature of political parties. It was a bitter campaign where Adams and Jefferson accused each other of wishing to destroy the Constitution. Despite the concerns of the framers, political parties became an important part of the American political system, with candidates backed by parties for the first time in this election.
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Frequently asked questions
The framers of the constitution believed that political parties were factions, or groups formed within a larger group. They thought that factions would fight to promote their interests and that the strongest faction would control the government, which would then promote the interests of the party in power, rather than protecting the rights and interests of all the people.
An example of a faction is the Federalists, who supported the Constitution and were led by Madison and Hamilton.
The framers of the constitution wanted to avoid the divisions that had occurred in England during the bloody civil wars of the 17th century. They wanted a truly democratic government.
The framers of the constitution feared too much centralized power and adopted a "divide and conquer" philosophy.
In his farewell address in 1796, George Washington warned of the divisive influence of factions on democracy, saying, "The common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it."
