How Should the Government be Run?

• The 1st Political Parties of the United States

George Washington

Said . . .

Click icon to add picture

“The common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest of a wise people to discourage

and restrain it.  It serves always to distract the public counsels

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

occasional riot and insurrection.  It opens the door to foreign

influence and corruption . . .”

Farewell Address 1800

Entering the Ring

Alexander Hamilton

Washington’s Secretary of the Treasury

Thomas Jefferson

Washington’s Secretary of State

FederalistDemocratic-

Republican

Federal or State

Federalists So named because they

supported a stronger National government rather that strong state governments. They believed the national government should make more laws governing the states and the people as well as using tax money to invest in a stronger country

Washington, Adams, and Hamilton are the leading Federalists

Democratic-Republicans

This party supported stronger state governments that had more control over money and laws for the benefit of their own states and people

Jefferson, Madison, and Burr were leading Dem.-Republicans

France or England

Federalists England

The French Revolution was getting too bloody and the mobs were getting out of control

America shares more kindred ties with people in England as well as a common cultural bond

Democratic-Republicans

France

The supported America during their revolution and were now facing the same problems the Colonists had been up against with England

The Bank

The Federalists This issue mainly revolved

around the interpretation of the Constitution

Federalists favored a loose interpretation of the Constitution meaning they could implement laws that were necessary and proper for the running of the country

The Democratic-Republicans

Dem-Reps favored a strict interpretation of the Constitution—meaning the government could only do what the Constitution said it could do and no more

Critics of T. Jefferson said the Louisiana Purchase would never had been made if he truly held to that philosophy

The EconomyFederalists

Assume all states’ war debt

National Bank to give loans to merchants to stimulate business and industry

Taxes on imported goods to encourage people to buy American

Democratic-Republicans

Lower taxes, no tariffs

No National Bank that would advantage wealthy individuals

No assumption of state debt

The People

Federalists Democratic-Republicans

Taxes

Whiskey Excise Tax

Federalists said it would curb alcoholism and they needed the tax base--Supported

Small farmers tended to be the backbone of the Dem-Reps. So they were against this tax

Protective Tariff This was a tax on imported

goods that the Federalists supported in order to boost American industries

Dem-Reps were against taxation on principle but this tax mainly hurt the small farmers of the West and South and enhanced the New England merchants and bankers

And the Winner is . . .

Thomas Jefferson wins two terms of office followed by his fellow Democratic-Republicans, James Madison for two terms and then James Monroe for two terms. The Democratic-Republican party shapes America for 24

years until John Quincy Adams becomes president. He served for only one term and is pestered by a political scandal in which Andrew Jackson won the popular vote

but Adams won the electoral college.