Download Did the Federalists or the Democratic

Did the Federalists or the Democratic-Republicans have a more profound effect on the formation of the United
States?
Even though Democratic-Republican presidents dominated the White House during twenty-four of the first thirtysix years of the Early Republic, the Federalists had the greatest overall effect on the actual formation of the United
States. To start, the Federalists were the primary force behind the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. In addition,
the Federalists created a federal tax system and a national bank, which provided a stable economy. Finally, by
strengthening the Supreme Court and more clearly defining the relationship between federal and state law, the
Federalists greatly influenced the federal legal system. All of these factors contributed to the more stable and
unified country we enjoy today.
The Federalists used their influence throughout the fall of 1787 and the winter and spring of 1788 to persuade the
states to unanimously ratify the Constitution and establish the multi-branched structure of the U.S. government.
Patriots and Anti-Federalists like Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams opposed ratification. They believed that the
newly structured federal government would be too powerful and constricting and that Congress should not have the
right to tax all Americans. Most important, Anti-Federalists feared the new office of the presidency would be a
modified form of monarchy. The Patriots and Anti-Federalists also believed that republicanism would never survive
in a large country because the government would be too distant from the hearts and minds of the people they
represented. In The Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison argued that republicanism
would work well for the United States. In fact, because the republic would be so large with so many conflicting
constituencies, no single faction would ever be able to dominate the others. Additional safeguards in the
Constitution, such as the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances, would further prevent the
government from ever becoming too powerful. Federalist arguments such as these helped generate the support
necessary to ratify the Constitution.
The economic policies of another Federalist, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, further contributed to
the structure of the federal government and helped put the nation on a sound financial footing. Despite protests
from Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans, Hamilton urged President Washington and Congress to
support the development of American manufacturing, pass the Excise Tax to fund the government, assume all state
and federal debts, fund those debts at par, and to create a Central Bank of the United States. Even though the
Constitution didn’t specifically authorize any of these measures, Hamilton and the Federalists insisted the
Constitution permitted everything that it did not expressly forbid. Democratic-Republicans were outraged, as “strict
constructionists,” they believed that the Constitution forbade everything it did not expressly allow. Clearly, the
United States was fortunate to have strong Federalist supporters. Assumption and funding at par gave the country
credibility and encouraged speculators to invest in American enterprises. The Excise Tax filled the federal treasury;
and the Bank of the United States helped stabilize the economy.
Finally, it was the Federalists under Chief Justice John Marshall who gave the United States its legal infrastructure.
Most of Marshall’s rulings during his thirty-five years as Chief Justice bolstered the federal government against the
individual states. In Marbury v. Madison, for example, he secured the power of Judicial Review for the Supreme
Court. In subsequent cases, Marshall would also defend the Court’s superior position to state courts. In doing so,
Marshall legitimized the federal government and set strong legal precedents for the relationship between federal
and state courts.
It is clear that the Federalists had a more profound effect on the formation of the United States. Specifically, the
Federalists gave the country a flexible Constitution, a structured economic system, and a legal system with the
power to review actions taken by the other branches of government. Most important, all these actions led to the
concept of a single nation, Instead of a loose commonwealth of states that acted more like independent countries.