The First American Party System: Federalists and Democratic-Republicans: The Platforms They Never Had

Lesson Three of the Curriculum Unit: The First American Party System: Events, Issues, and Positions

Guiding Question

• What were the key positions of the parties?
• How important to the parties' positions were their basic attitudes toward constitutional interpretation (Federalists, broad interpretation / Democratic-Republicans, strict interpretation)?
• Which positions of either party resonate in the politics of today?

Learning Objectives

• Summarize the key positions of the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans.

Introduction

… All the capital employed in paper speculation is barren & useless, producing, like that on a gaming table, no accession to itself, and is withdrawn from commerce & agriculture where it would have produced addition to the common mass: That it nourishes in our citizens habits of vice and idleness instead of industry & morality: That it has furnished effectual means of corrupting such a portion of the legislature, as turns the balance between the honest voters which ever way it is directed: That this corrupt squadron, deciding the voice of the legislature, have manifested their dispositions to get rid of the limitations imposed by the constitution on the general legislature, limitations, on the faith of which, the states acceded to that instrument: That the ultimate object of all this is to prepare the way for a change, from the present republican form of government, to that of a monarchy, of which the English constitution is to be the model. That this was contemplated in the Convention is no secret, because its partisans have made none of it.

The Platform of the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans

To the Federalist group:

• "Federalist Group Handouts," pages 16-20
• "The Federalist Party Platform," page 21
• The interactive version of "The Federalist Party Platform,"

• "Democratic-Republican Group Handouts," pages 22-28
• "The Democratic-Republican Party Platform," page 29
• The Interactive version of "The Democratic-Republican Party Platform,"
  
  NOTE: Though the Federalist Party became a formal party after the Democratic-Republicans, the Democratic-Republican Party largely formed in reaction to policies of Washington's administration, many of which were formulated by Hamilton. Therefore, the Federalist positions are provided first.

• Within each group, further subdivide the students so that individuals or small groups may focus on each of the following issues:
  • Issue 1: Funding the Public Debt
  • Issue 2: United States Relations with Great Britain/France
  • Issue 3: The National Bank: Implied Powers vs. Strict Interpretation
  • Issue 4: Manufacturing/Agriculture
  • Issue 5: The Jay Treaty
  • Issue 6: The Democratic-Republican Societies
  • Issue 7: The Alien and Sedition Acts

Assessment

• What were the positions of each party on the issues? Which positions, if any, changed over time in reaction to events? Which events?
• How important to the parties' positions were their basic attitudes toward constitutional interpretation (Federalists, broad interpretation / Democratic-Republicans, strict interpretation)?
• To what extent were party positions dictated by other factors? What considerations were important?
• Which positions of either party resonate in the politics of today?

• Students who represented Federalist positions in the lesson should analyze "Jefferson's Platform." In what substantive ways, if any, does it resemble the Republican Platform devised by the Republican groups? In what substantive ways, if any, does it differ from the Republican Platform devised by the Republican groups?
• Students who represented Republican positions in the lesson should make note of Jefferson's remarks. Then, using Jefferson’s letter as a model, they should write a letter in the voice of a Federalist describing his positions.

Previous lesson

Return to curriculum unit overview: The First American Party System: Events, Issues, and Positions

Selected EDSITEment Websites

• American Memory
  [http://memory.loc.gov/]
• 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))]
• The American President
  [http://www.americanpresident.org/]
• Thomas Jefferson
  [http://www.americanpresident.org/history/thomasjefferson/]
• Thomas Jefferson Digital Archive
  [http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/]
• Jefferson's Letter to Elbridge Gerry, Jan. 26, 1799