Download Who are the Federalists?

Who are the Federalists?
“The Federalist Party was a United States political party in the
period 1793 to 1816, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The party was
formed by Alexander Hamilton, who, in about 1792, built a network of
supporters around the country to support his fiscal policies. The Federalists
were nationalists who wanted a fiscally (financially) and militarily strong
nation state, and showed little interest in states' rights. Instead of states’ rights Federalists looked to
strengthen the power of the newly formed national government by asserting its rule over the states. One
objective of the party was to increase the number of federal employees. The new party was a strong
advocate (supporter) of the new Constitution. However, they believed in a loose interpretation of the
actual words in the United States Constitution.
They believed in rule by a well-educated elite, and thus appealed to merchants, bankers, lawyers,
editors, landowners, and industrialists; one of John Jay's, a leading Federalists, favorite sayings was,
"The people who own the country ought to govern it". Naturally many Federalists pushed for an
economy focused around manufacturing, trading, finance sprinkled in with some agriculture. One of
their most claring differences with their political rivals, the Democratic-Republicans, was their strong
support of Great Britain. Since Britain and France had gone to war, Federalists favored support of Great
Britain due to our strong ties to the former parent country as well as for trading purposes. Its most
powerful leader was Hamilton and its hero was George Washington. Hamilton proposed the ambitious
Hamiltonian economic program that involved assumption of the state debts, creating a national debt and
the means to pay it off, and setting up a national bank.
The Federalists continued for several years to be a major political party in New England and the
Northeast, but never regained control of the Presidency or the Congress. With the death of Washington
and Hamilton, and the retirement of Adams, the Federalists were left without a strong leader, and grew
steadily weaker. Federalist policies favored factories, banking, and trade over agriculture, and thus
became unpopular in the growing Western states. They were increasingly seen as aristocratic (upperclass) and unsympathetic to democracy. In the South the party had lingering support in Maryland, but
elsewhere was crippled by 1800 and faded away by 1808”
Who are the Democratic-Republicans?
“The Democratic-Republican Party, founded by Thomas Jefferson and
James Madison as the Republican Party in 1792, was the dominant political
party in the United States from 1800 until the 1820s. The party and its members
identified themselves as the Republican Party (not related to the present-day
Republican Party), Republicans, Jeffersonians, Democratic Republicans, less
frequently Democrats, or combinations of these (like Jeffersonian republicans).
Jefferson and Madison created the party in order to oppose the economic and foreign policies of the
Federalists, a party created a year or so earlier by Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. Foreign
policy issues were central; the party opposed the Jay Treaty of 1794 with Britain (then at war with
France) and supported good relations with France before 1801 because of the support they had shown us
during the Revolutionary War. The Party insisted on a strict interpretation of the Constitution, and
denounced many of Hamilton's proposals (especially the national bank) as unconstitutional because they
were not explicitly stated in the Constitution.
The party promoted states' rights and the dominance of the farmer and agriculture over bankers,
industrialists, and merchants. They carried a strong faith in the common man and focused on protecting
states’ and peoples’ rights. From 1792 to 1816 the party opposed such Federalist policies as high tariffs,
a navy, military spending, a national debt, and a national bank. For a Democratic-Republican
supporting these policies meant the expansion of the national government which was something they
adamantly opposed.
Starting with 1800 in what Jefferson called the “Revolution of 1800,” the party took control of
the presidency and both houses of Congress, beginning a quarter century of control of those institutions.
The party soon dominated Congress and most state governments outside of New England. By 1820, the
Federalists were no longer acting as a national party; there was little to hold the Democratic-Republican
Party together”
Name: _____________________________
Date: ______________________
Period: __________
The Birth of Political Parties in America
Essential Question: What role do Hamilton and Jefferson have on the development of our
government’s identity?
Directions: Identify the political beliefs and ideologies of the Federalists and DemocraticRepublicans.
Step 1: Read through your reading and complete the chart for your assigned political party.
Step 2: Share your information with your partner and complete the other half of the chart.
Step 3: Complete the historical head for Alexander Hamilton (Federalist) and Thomas
Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) based on your responses to the chart.
Issue
Political Leaders
Who did they believe
should influence the
government?
National vs. State
Where do they want the
power?
Constitutional
Interpretation
How should the constitution
be interpreted?
Economic Issues 1
What should the economy
be based on?
Economic Issues 2
What are their feelings on a
national bank, taxing,
money issues?
Foreign Policy
Who did they prefer to
support?
Supporters
Where/who do they get
their support from?
Federalists
Democratic-Republicans
Alexander Hamilton vs. Thomas Jefferson
Directions: Using the information from the chart you completed fill in the historical head with at least 3 words
and/or images each that represent the political beliefs of Hamilton and Jefferson
 You can draw images, use symbols or look for images online. (Don’t just use 1 general word)
 Number each item. On the bottom of the page, write a corresponding explanation of why/how you
think it reflects the views of a either Hamilton or Jefferson,
 Make your head colorful and eye-catching and your explanation accurate and convincing.
Hamilton Explanations:
1.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Jefferson Explanations:
1.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________________________________