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  Thomas Jefferson, Democratic-Republican, and Alexander Hamilton, Federalist, symbolized opposing views on American governance and political parties in the new nation.
Courtesy of American Memory at the Library of Congress.

  

Subject Areas
History and Social Studies
   U.S. History - Civics and U.S. Government
   U.S. History - Colonial America and the New Nation
 
Time Required
 Lesson One: What Is Legitimate Opposition in a Democracy?: One class period or less.
Lesson Two: A Documentary Timeline of Important Events (1787-1800): Time will vary depending on need and how the timeline is used.
Lesson Three: Federalists and Democratic-Republicans: The Platforms They Never Had: Two class periods.
 
Skills
 Interpreting archival documents
Analyzing rhetoric
Working collaboratively
Comparing and contrasting
Graphic representation of information
Critical thinking
 
Curriculum Unit
The First American Party System: Events, Issues, and Positions
 
Additional Data
 Date Created: 03/08/04
 
Additional Student/Teacher Resources
 Blackline Master for this Curriculum Unit
 
Date Posted
 4/7/2004
 
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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

Lesson One: U.S. Political Parties: The Principle of Legitimate Opposition

Lesson Two: A Documentary Timeline of Important Events (1787-1800)

Lesson Three: Federalists and Democratic-Republicans: The Platforms They Never Had

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