1998 Document Based Question Essay

During the Revolutionary period in the early eighteen hundreds, two dominant political parties; the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists, were at odds in terms of political ideas on how to run the country, and how to treat the Constitution. Jeffersonian Republicans believed in strong state governments, a weak central government, and a stringent understanding of the Constitution unlike the Federalist. The Federalist favored a powerful central government, weak state governments and had a broad elucidation of the Constitution. Though such characteristics of both political parties were accurate, it only went to a certain extent. The solid divide between the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalist began to blur during the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Both parties occasionally strayed from their core beliefs, for neither parties were able to lead the nation with purely republican/federalist ideals.

When Jefferson entered office, his intentions were to move away from the Federalist policies and to put the nation onto the pathway that he thought would be more beneficial. His republican beliefs were illustrated in his letter to Gideon Granger on the 13th of August, 1800 (Document A) were he expressed his wish to minimize the power of the central government by strengthening the state governments. “Our country is too large to have all its affairs directed by a single government…” Jefferson envisaged a government with the people’s interest at heart, and in order to do so Jefferson believed that the federal Constitution should have been preserved, and if not, the future for the nation would not have been so great. Jefferson wrote to Granger “it [our country] can never be harmonious and solid while so respec...

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...ren from their parents, and parents form their children and compel them to fight the battles of any war … who will show me any constitutional injunction which makes in the duty of the American people.”

The two dominant parties of the early nineteenth century stalwartly believed in their ideas and how they considered the laws of the Constitution. Jeffersonian Republicans believed in strong state governments, a weak central government, and a stringent understanding of the Constitution unlike the Federalist. The Federalist favored a powerful central government, weak state governments and had a broad elucidation of the Constitution. Despite that such characteristics of both political parties were accurate; it only went to a certain extent. On occasion both parties strayed from their core beliefs for what they thought may have benefit the United stared and her citizens.