RISE OF POLITICAL PARTIES

Rise of Political Parties  The United States is dominated by two major political parties today  Actively involved in political process, run candidates  Republican & Democrats  Republican Party started in the 1850s  Democrats- one of the oldest and continuous political parties, started in the 1790s

Rise of Political Parties  The first political party started when Thomas Jefferson and other critics of George Washington formed an alliance, which became the Democratic party  Did not mean to create a political party  Hated political parties- thought they were evidence of social chaos and moral decay  Originally called Democratic Republicans, but mostly called the Jeffersonian Republicans  This group and the Federalists, were America’s first party system

Issues Dividing the First Parties  National Bank  Alexander Hamilton believed America needed a federal bank to make the states indebted to the Federal government Ex. If the states were owed money by the Federal government, the states would want the federal government to succeed  Planters, slaveholders, commercial farmers, and people far from urban areas did not support the bank. thought the US had no business regulating the economy, did not want interference from the national government, and disliked taxes. Seemed like the British policy of taxation

Issues Dividing the First Parties  Views of the Constitution  Jefferson believed in a STRICT interpretation- doing exactly what the Constitution said  Hamilton preferred a LOOSE interpretation- thought the Constitution could be interpreted  French Revolution  Federalists opposed the French Revolution  Jeffersonians embraced it- thought it was an extension of the American Revolution. They wanted to help the French when a war broke out between the French and the British

Issues Dividing the First Parties  Jay Treaty  When war between England and France developed, Washington sent John Jay to make a treaty with England Democratic Republicans opposed this- they supported the French  The treaty committed the US to favoring the British over the French Many saw this as a betrayal of the Revolutionary ideals

Sort the Details Strong central gov’t National debt Members were slaveholders, anti-British, farmers opposed to taxes, & from the South Members were businessmen from the northeast National Bank Thought common men should hold power Strong standing army Power should be with the wealthy & educated Pro British Ex. Hamilton & Adams Weak central gov’t Strict interpretation of Const. Opposed National Bank Pro-Agriculture Loose interpretation of Const. Pro-French Against large armies Ex. Madison & Jefferson

Federalists vs. Jeffersonian Republicans  Strong central gov’t  Loose interpretation of Const.  National Bank  Nation debt  Strong standing army  Power should be with the wealthy & educated  Pro British  Members were businessmen from the northeast  Ex. Hamilton & Adams  Weak central gov’t  Strict interpretation of Const.  Opposed National Bank  Pro-Agriculture  Against large armies  Thought common men should hold power  Pro-French  Members were slaveholders, anti-British, farmers opposed to taxes, & from the South  Ex. Madison & Jefferson

Establishment of Political Parties  With the bitter feelings between the parties, Washington did not run for a third term  Set a precedent of 2 terms  Adams ran for President against Jefferson in 1796  Adams won and Jefferson became his VP  When Washington left office, he warned against political parties  “It serves to distract the Public Councils and enfeeble the Public Administration… agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one…against another… it opens the door to foreign influence and corruption…”

Election of 1800  The presidential election of 1800, won by Thomas Jefferson, was the first American presidential election when power was peacefully transferred from one political party to another.  Revolution w/o violence

ors/video/lp1_vid3_vid.html