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The First American Party System: Events, Issues, and Positions
—Curriculum Unit Overview—
Jefferson's revolutionary viewpoints soon shaped the beginnings of
a profound split in American politics. On one side, centering on the figure
of the secretary of the treasury, Alexander Hamilton, were those favoring an
energetic federal government, a strong presidency, and ties to England. On the
other side, centered on Thomas Jefferson, were those favoring a less dynamic
national government, a limited presidency, and ties to revolutionary France.
—From His
Empire of Liberty on the EDSITEment resource The
American President
The idea of a legitimate opposition—recognized opposition, organized and
free enough in its activities to be able to displace an existing government
by peaceful means—is an immensely sophisticated idea, and it was not an
idea that the Fathers found fully developed and ready to hand when they began
their enterprise in republican constitutionalism in 1788.
—Richard Hofstadter in The Idea of a Party System (University
of California Press, 1970. p. 8.)
Introduction
Fear of factionalism and political parties was deeply rooted in Anglo-American
political culture before the American Revolution. Leaders such as George Washington
and Thomas Jefferson hoped their new government, founded on the Constitution,
would be motivated instead by a common intent, a unity. Though dominant, these
sentiments were not held by all Americans. A delegate to the Massachusetts ratifying
convention, for example, asserted that “competition of interest…between
those persons who are in and those who are out office, will ever form one important
check to the abuse of power in our representatives.” (Quoted in Hofstader,
p. 36) Hamilton argued from a slightly different perspective in Federalist #70:
“In the legislature, promptitude of decision is oftener an evil than a
benefit. The differences of opinion, and the jarrings of parties in that department
of the government, though they may sometimes obstruct salutary plans, yet often
promote deliberation and circumspection, and serve to check excesses in the
majority.”
Political parties did form in the United States and had their beginnings in
Washington's cabinet. Jefferson, who resigned as Washington's Secretary of State
in 1793, and James Madison, who first began to oppose the policies of Alexander
Hamilton while a member of the House of Representatives, soon united, as Jefferson
wrote in his will, "in the same principles and pursuits of what [they] deemed
for the greatest good of our country" (on the Thomas
Jefferson Digital Archive, a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed website The
American President). Together, they were central to the creation of the
first political party in the United States. In the meantime, those who supported
Hamilton began to organize their own party, thus leading to the establishment
of a two-party system.
In this unit, students will read the philosophical and policy statements of
Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, and others to better understand the nature and
positions of the first political parties in the United States.
Guiding Questions
- What constitutes a legitimate opposition in a democracy? What is a political
party in a democracy?
- What differences in philosophy led to the development of the Federalist
and Democratic-Republican parties?
- What events and issues were important in causing the differences in opinion?
- What were the key positions of the parties?
- • What are the essential elements of an organized political party?
Learning Objectives
After completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to:
- Cite critical factors leading to the development of the Federalists and
Democratic-Republicans.
- Summarize the key positions of the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans
and the reasoning behind those positions.
Preparing to Teach This Curriculum Unit
- Review the lesson plan. Locate and bookmark suggested materials and other
useful websites. Download and print out documents you will use and duplicate
copies as necessary for student viewing.
- Download the blackline
masters for this lesson, available here as a PDF file. Print out and make
an appropriate number of copies of any handouts you plan to use in class.
- The philosophical differences that arose during the Constitutional Convention
and the ratification process that followed laid the foundation for the political
divisions that emerged and solidified once the new government was in place.
Article VII of the Constitution provided for ratification by the states, stipulating
that approval by nine states would be sufficient for adoption. Support for
the new government was mixed. Supporters called themselves Federalists and
dubbed their opponents Anti-Federalists. These labels referred to groups that
formed for the sole purpose of debating the merits of the Constitution, deciding
whether it should be adopted, and, if so, determining what conditions should
be placed on its acceptance. Though sharply divided on issues relating to
the new framework of government, the Federalists and Anti-Federalists did
not adopt the organizational elements associated with formal political parties.
Furthermore, the divisions that arose during the ratification process were
different from the alignments that emerged during Washington’s administration.
Madison, for example was closely aligned with Hamilton during the struggle
for ratification but led the opposition to Hamilton’s Federalist Party
throughout the 1790s. Exactly when philosophical differences coalesced into
recognizable political parties is open to debate. According to the Encyclopedia
of American History (Morris and Morris, Harper Collins, 1996):
Competent latter-day authorities differ over the approximate date of
origin of these parties. Among the dates indicated for their definite
emergence are 1787-88 (C.A. Beard), 1791-92 (J.S. Bassett: D. Malone),
1792-1793 (N. Cunningham) and 1798 (O.G.Libby).
Additional information on the positions of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists
may be found in the EDSITEment lessons Before
and Beyond the Constitution: Chief Executives Compared: The Federalist Papers
and The Constitutional
Convention: Four Founding Fathers You May Never Have Met.
Unit Lessons
Selected EDSITEment Websites
- American Memory
[http://memory.loc.gov/]
- The Annals of Congress
[http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwac.html]
- The
Bill for authorizing the President to lay, regulate, and revoke Embargoes
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(ed00426))]
- Circular.
New York
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/rbpebib:@field
(NUMBER+@band(rbpe+1130070c))]
- Edward
Rutledge in Defense of the Constitution
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(ed0045))]
- Gallatin
to Jefferson
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mtj:@field
(DOCID+@lit(tj090161))]
- George
Washington to Thomas Jefferson, October 18, 1792
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(gw320157))]
- Hamilton
on the Constitutionality of a National Bank
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(fr003283))]
- Journal of the
Proceedings of the President, August 1 and 2, 1793
[http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/gwlet8.html]
- Madison
in Congress on the Jay Treaty
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(ed00429))]
- On
the Establishment of a National Bank
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(ed00416))]
- On
the Motion of Mr. Tazewell to strike out a complimentary Reply to the French
Republic
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(ed00427))]
- Opinions,
Selected From Debates In Congress From 1789 To 1836, Involving Constitutional
Principles
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(ed0049))]
- President
Washington to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson (Aug. 1792)
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(gw320114))]
- President
Washington to Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton (Aug. 26, 1792)
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(gw320115))]
- Party
System
[http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/features/election/partysys.html]
- Report
on Public Credit, January 1790, page 2065
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llac&fileName=
002/llac002.db&recNum=394]
- The
Senate Journal --THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 1800
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field
(DOCID+@lit(sj00382))]
- Thomas Jefferson
Papers
[http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/mtjhtml/mtjhome.html]
- Thomas
Jefferson to George Washington, May 23, 1792
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mtj:@field
(DOCID+@lit(tj060237))]
- Thomas
Jefferson to John Melish, January 13, 1813
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mtj:@field
(DOCID+@lit(tj110113))]
- To
the electors of Pennsylvania. (Philadelphia. 1799)
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/rbpebib:@field(NUMBER
+@band(rbpe+1490240a))]
- To
the electors of the Southern district of the State of New-York
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=rbpe&fileName=rbpe11/
rbpe113/11300200/rbpe11300200page.db&recNum=0]
- American Memory:
Sources
[http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/sources.html]
- PBS History
[http://www.pbs.org/neighborhoods/history/#us]
- The Library of Congress
[http://www.loc.gov/]
- The American President
[http://www.americanpresident.org/]
- American Studies at the University
of Virginia
[http://xroads.virginia.edu/]
- The Avalon Project
[http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm]
- Digital Classroom
[http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/index.html]
- EDSITEment
[http://edsitement.neh.gov/]
- Harp Week
[http://www.harpweek.com/]
- History Matters
[http://historymatters.gmu.edu/]
- Gilder Lehrman Institute of American
History
[http://www.gilderlehrman.org]
- Digital History
[http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/]
- Making Sense of
Evidence
[http://historymatters.gmu.edu/browse/makesense/]
- Internet Public Library
[http://www.ipl.org]
- Electronic Text Center of the University
of Virginia
[http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/]
- Foreign Relations of the United
States
[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/]
- Grolier's
Biography of George Washington
[http://gi.grolier.com/presidents/ea/bios/01pwash.html]
- Links to the Past
[http://www.cr.nps.gov/]
Standards Alignment
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