This political philosophy is a system of government in which powers are divided between a central government and semi-sovereign political states. The radical leaders who were important in stressing these ideologies and new ideas were Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams. The American Revolutionary period occurred in 1763 when Britain defeated France in the French and Indian War. Because of this war, England had almost doubled its own national debt. The colonists of the Mother Country (Britain), the peoples of America, expected to have their "rights of the Englishmen" given to them by their benefactor as a natural set of rights.
In the new government of the United States of America, the president had a Cabinet with a Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of War, Attorney General and Postmaster General. George Washington, the first president of the United States of America, asked Thomas Jefferson to be the Secretary of State and asked Alexander Hamilton to be the Secretary of the Treasury. Because of the polarity of their political beliefs, Thomas Jefferson, a Republican who believed in strong states rights, and Alexander Hamilton, a Federalist who believed in a strong federal government, had differing opinions on all matters in the government. While Jefferson written that all men are created equal in the Declaration of Independence, Hamilton had helped created the constitution that founded a strong federal government. Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton laid the groundwork for America’s first two-party system.
The Federalists were a powerful and wealthy party consisting of businessmen, lawyers, bankers and highly educated men and gained a lot of their support from the North, where business was strong. They believed that the most important branch of the government was the executive branch, and a strong president was needed in order to make the country strong. Some important Federalist party supporters were: George Washington, John Adams, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton. The Federalists, during John Adams presidency, established the nation’s economy and enjoyed successes with their domestic policies. They also s... ... middle of paper ... ...ven Democrats were becoming divided among themselves Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican president in 1860.
On the contrary, the Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Madison, were suspicious of national government. They believed in strong state governments led by the “common man” and strict interpretation of the Constitution. They were pro-French, and opposed to the national bank and protective tariffs. Since they put emphasis on agriculture, they gained support from wealthy southern planters and ordinary farmers throughout the country. The political divisions between the Federalists and the Republicans first surfaced when Hamilton proposed his financial plan.
The north agreed with Hamilton’s plans including a national bank to solve the country’s debt problems, but the south rejected the idea. The Federalists supported the idea of a strong central government, while the Antifederalists were more in favor of the local government holding more power. Main differences between the Antifederalists and Federalists led to the rise of political parties. The Whiskey Rebellion was a major event that caused more conflict between the Antifederalists and Federalists. However, political parties of the modern world have greatly evolved since this time and today are sophisticated groups that better serve to represent the citizens.
Jefferson as a non- federalist believed that Hamilton’s national bank was unconstitutional and decided to abandon that policy, trim the federalist budget, and cut taxes. Jefferson as a Democratic-Republican did not like or trust the government due to its limit on the freedom of the individuals, but he acknowledged the necessity. Jefferson believed in a democracy where the people and the states have most of the power. Returning power to the states meant relinquishing powers of the central government, and this began with repealing the Alien and Sedition Acts. One of Adam’s major flaws in his presidency was the execution of the Alien and Sedition Acts which allowed the government to compulsorily banish foreigners and jail newspaper editors for scandalous
During the late 1700s there was a lot of different viewpoints on how the government should be run today. The leaders of the divide were George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, which later on we will learn each one of their views. In today’s political world we would divide Washington and Hamilton views into political parties, which in the late 1700s they were called Federalists and Republicans. However, later on we see a group trying to create a democracy, which then it was called Jacksonian populism and power. George Washington was the first president of the United States.
In addition, due to disagreements in political issues, a party system formed in Congress, consisting of Democratic-Republicans and Federalists. Being Independent from England, then gave the Americans a lot more freedom to do what they so desired, and also gave the Americans the responsibility to decide on the new laws that would govern them. This sparked the creation of the Constitution. Also, in The Pennsylvania Packet from 1779(Document B), John Dunlap, the publisher, gets fired up about the Loyalists, or Tories. This demonstrates the hatred that the Americans have toward England and that they mus... ... middle of paper ... ... national bank, but in his third, he caught a lot of criticism for.
Washington likely mentioned the issue in his Farewell Address due to the rising heat on the issue of state power versus federal power. The first political parties in America began to form at the end of the 18th century. "The conflict that took shape in the 1790s between the Federalists and the Antifederalists exercised a profound impact on American history." The two primary influences, Thomas Jefferson a... ... middle of paper ... ...pers No. 63.
One of the issues was the national bank on how to manage the finances of a country. This began in 1789, when George Washington, the first president, appointed 34 year old Hamilton as the first Secretary of Treasury of the United States of America. Being in charge of the financial department of a new country, Hamilton began to assemble a banking system. Hamilton believed the country needed a national bank to help shake off its financial malaise and join the company of modern commercial nations(Davies). Therefore, Hamilton took the responsibility to create a banking system that would fix and govern the country's finances.