Section 9.3: The Federalists in Charge

Section 9.3: The Federalists in

Charge

Today ‘s Essential Question: How did

political disagreements lead to the formation of

political parties?

Vocabulary

• political party – a group of people that tries to promote its ideas and influence government, and also backs candidates for office

• foreign policy – relations with the governments of other countries

• domestic – coming from one’s own country

Check for Understanding

• What is today’s Essential Question?• Name an important political party.• What country’s foreign policy is or

once was hostile to the United States?• What is a domestic wine?

What is foreign policy?

Foreign policy is the way in which the governments of different countries

relate to each other.

What is a political party?

A political party is a group of people that tries to promote its ideas and influence government, and also backs candidates

for office.

What We Already Know

The members of our country’s first presidential cabinet were very talented men.


Jefferson and Hamilton had first

clashed over several parts of

Hamilton’s financial plan.


They also disagreed over which side the United States should support in the new

war between France and Britain.

In 1789, Washington had

come to the presidency greatly

admired by the American people.

During his second term, however, opponents of

Jay’s Treaty led attacks on the

president.

Supporters of the French Revolution also

criticized him for his neutrality policy.

Cabinet members Jefferson and Hamilton disagreed over many issues,

starting with the national bank.

Only George Washington’s leadership made it possible for the two men to work together in the

cabinet.

In 1796, President George Washington decided to retire.

• He had served two terms in office and wanted to return to his quiet life as a wealthy Virginia planter.

• But as he left office, he had two fears for the future of the nation.

Washington’s Fears

• He feared what would happen if the United States made alliances with foreign countries.

• He feared what would happen if people ever formed political parties.

Washington’s ‘Farewell Address’

• He urged the nation to remain neutral and “steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.”

• He warned that agreements with foreign nations might work against U.S. interests.

• His advice guided U.S. foreign policy into the 20th Century.

Washington also warned against forming political parties.

• During his second term, divisions between his cabinet began to create political parties.

• In his Farewell Address, Washington warned of the dangers of political division, or what he termed “the spirit of party.”

• Despite his advice, political parties became a part of American politics.

Get your whiteboards and markers ready!

10. What two pieces of advice did Washington give in his Farewell

Address?A. Avoid political parties

and divisions. B. The country must

abandon slavery.C. The country should

remain neutral. D. Settle the West as

rapidly as possible. E. The nation must not to

violate the treaties they had signed with Native Americans.

Why did Washington favor neutrality with other countries?

A. Alliances with other nations might work against American interests.

B. Neutrality would be the best way to promote trade with European nations.

C. The United States was powerful enough and didn’t need help from other nations.

D. Most European nations were dishonest and could not be trusted.

Growth of Political Parties• Despite Washington’s warning against political

parties, Americans were deeply divided over how the nation should be run.

• During Washington’s first term, Hamilton and Jefferson had hotly debated the direction the new nation should take.

• During Washington’s second term, Jefferson resigned and Madison took his place in the cabinet and in the debates with Hamilton.

Growth of Political Parties

• As Hamilton and Madison argued, other Americans gathered around whichever of these two men they agreed with.

• Their differences on foreign and domestic policy led to the nation’s first political parties.


11. What led to the rise of political parties?

A. The growing expense of election campaignsB. Disagreements over which class of people

should run the nationC. Different views on economic policyD. Differing interpretations of the ConstitutionE. Washington’s favoritism toward Jefferson

Choose all that are true!

The new political parties were the Federalists and the Democratic-

Republicans.

Hamilton Jefferson and Madison

Together, Jefferson and Madison founded the Democratic-

Republican Party.

The party name reflected their strong belief in

democracy, states’ rights, and their concern for individual liberties.

James Madison

Hamilton continued to lead the Federalists.

Hamilton’s followers kept the name

‘Federalists’ from the days of the ratification

debate.

The supporters of the Federalists

included lawyers, merchants,

manufacturers, and the wealthy.

The Federalists and the Government

The Federalists supported a stronger national government, with more power than

the state governments.

Jefferson and Hamilton disagreed over interpretation of the Constitution.

• Hamilton was a loose constructionist, and claimed the elastic clause gave Congress broad legislative powers.

• Jefferson was a strict constructionist, who wanted to limit the powers of government.

These differences became clear when Hamilton called for Congress

to charter a national bank.

• Jefferson opposed the bank on the grounds it was unconstitutional.

• Congress, however, voted in favor of Hamilton’s bank proposal.

The Federalist Party and the Common People

• Federalists saw the common people as dangerously unstable.

• They believed the wealthy and the well-educated should have the greater voice in government, because they would be more likely to govern well than the common people.

Hamilton wanted a United States in

which the economy was based on

manufacturing, trade, and cities.

As a former banker and businessman, Hamilton had a distinct vision of the

nation’s future.

The Democratic-Republicans viewed government and society differently.

• They feared that a strong government could lead to monarchy, or to rule by the wealthy upper classes.

• They wanted more power given to the states.

Unlike the Federalists, they trusted the common people.

• The Democratic-Republicans saw in the common people a great deal of honesty and good judgment, so they wanted them to have a large role in government.

• Their ideas drew farmers, shopkeepers, workers, and recent immigrants to the new party.

Unlike Hamilton, Jefferson and Madison pictured a rural nation of

planters and farmers.

They believed such people would make good, honest citizens that could not be corrupted by bribes

and political promises.

The Federalists The Democratic-Republicans

Leader Alexander Hamilton Thomas JeffersonJames Madison

Supporters Lawyers, merchants, manufacturers

Farmers, shopkeepers, immigrants

Interpretation of the Constitution Loose construction Strict construction

The common people Saw common people as unstable and dangerous

Common people were honest, trustworthy, had common sense

The national bank Favored it Opposed it

The national government

Wanted a strong central government

Feared a strong government could become a monarchy

Who should run the government The wealthy and well-educated The common people

The economy Based on trade, cities, and manufacturing

Based on agriculture (farms and plantations)

The First Political Parties

In 1796, John Adams defeated Thomas Jefferson in the presidential election.

The nation now had a Federalist president and

a Democratic-Republican vice-

president.

Problems with France• When Adams took office in 1797,

France and Britain were at war.• Federalists tended to support the

British in this war, while Democratic-Republicans were sympathetic to France.

Problems with France

• The French began seizing U.S. ships to prevent them from trading with the British.

• Within the year, the French had looted more than 300 U.S. ships.

Problems with France• American

anger toward France grew and some Federalists called for war.

• Many Democratic-Republicans publically criticized Adams and the Federalists for trading with the British instead of supporting France.

The XYZ Affair• Adams hoped talks would restore calm,

so he sent Charles Pinckney, Elbridge Gerry, and John Marshall to Paris.

• There they requested a meeting with the French minister of foreign affairs, but were ignored for three weeks.

The XYZ Affair

Then three French agents—later referred to as X, Y, and Z— told the

Americans that talks with the minister would

occur only if the Americans agreed to

loan France $10 million and to pay the minister

a bribe of $250,000.

The XYZ Affair• The Americans refused, and Adams

received a full report of what became known as the XYZ Affair.

• The American public was outraged by this insult to the nation.

The XYZ Affair• Congress canceled its treaties with France

and allowed U.S. ships to seize French vessels.

• Congress also set aside money to expand the navy and the army.


12. What was the result of the XYZ Affair?

A. Congress cancelled our treaty with France. B. Adams made an alliance with Britain.C. The United States began building up the

navy in preparation for war with France.D. Congress authorized American ships to raid

French vessels.

Choose the response that is NOT TRUE!

Angered by criticism in a time of crisis, Adams blamed the

Democratic-Republican newspapers.

The Alien and Sedition Acts

• To silence their critics and weaken the Democratic-Republicans, the Federalist Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798.

• These acts were aimed at aliens because they usually joined the Democratic-Republicans.

• They also targeted newspapers that supported Democratic-Republicans.

The Alien and Sedition Acts• An alien is an immigrant who is not yet a

citizen of the country they live in.• Sedition is the act of stirring up a rebellion.• The Acts increased the waiting period for

becoming a U.S. citizen from 5 to 14 years.• The Acts gave the president the power to

arrest disloyal aliens or to order them out of the country during wartime.

• The Acts made it a crime to say or write anything false or critical about the gov-ernment.


13. Why did Congress pass the Alien and Sedition Acts?

A. They wanted to appease the British Parliament and avoid another war.

B. They wanted to expel French spies posing as immigrants from the country.

C. They wanted to keep the Democratic-Republicans from criticizing the Adams administration.

D. They thought it might help Thomas Jefferson win the election of 1800.

The Democratic-Republicans accused the Federalists of shutting down

freedom of speech and the press.

At least 25 newspaper editors were arrested for violating the Sedition Act.

The Democratic-Republicans fought the Alien and Sedition Acts.

• Led by Jefferson and Madison, they used a theory called states’ rights.

• According to this theory, states have rights that the federal government cannot violate.

Jefferson and Madison secretly wrote the Kentucky and Virginia

resolutions.

• Resolutions are declarations passed by legislatures.

• The Kentucky and Virginia resolutions declared that the Alien and Sedition Acts violated the Constitution, and therefore they would not be enforced in Kentucky or Virginia.

Jefferson proposed nullification.

Nullification is the idea that a state could

nullify, or cancel out, a federal law within its

state boundaries.

No other states supported Kentucky and Virginia.

• However, within two years the Democratic-Republicans won control of Congress.

• They either repealed the Alien and Sedition Acts or let them expire.


14. What are states’ rights?

A. only have to contribute as much in federal taxes as they feel they owe.

B. can determine for themselves how many people they can send to the House of Representatives.

C. have the right to a share of federal tax revenue.

D. have certain rights that the federal government cannot violate.

States’ rights is the political belief that says states

15. How did Kentucky and Virginia respond to the Alien and Sedition Acts?

A. They organized a new political party to oppose Adams and the Federalists.

B. They called for all southern states to participate in a cotton embargo against the North.

C. They promised to enforce the laws within their state borders.

D. They passed resolutions that declared that the acts violated the Constitution.

Meanwhile, Adams reopened talks with France.

Both countries agreed to the Convention of

1800, an agreement to

stop naval attacks against

each other.

Adams’ actions made many Federalists turn against him.

• Adams himself spoke proudly of having saved the nation from war with France.

• He considered this his greatest accomplishment as president.

• Despite this victory, Adams lost the presidential election of 1800 to Thomas Jefferson.

The Adams AdministrationEvent Description Impact

The XYZ AffairFrench agents demanded a bribe from

American diplomats before being allowed to see the foreign minister.

Anti-French feeling grew in the United States. Treaties with France

were cancelled and the American navy seized French vessels

Federalist opposition to new

immigrants

Most new immigrants tended to join the Democratic-Republican party. The Federalist party was losing voters to

their opponents.

Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts.

The Alien and Sedition Acts

Residency for citizenship was raised from 5 to 14 years. President could deport or jail any undesirable alien.

Outlawed criticism of the government.

Led Jefferson to write the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions.

The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

Declared that the Alien and Sedition Acts violated the Constitution, and therefore would not be enforced in

Kentucky or Virginia.

Established the concept of nullification

nullification – belief that a state can declare a federal law unconstitutionalWhat great accomplishment did Adams claim as president? He could claim with pride that he helped the country avoid war with France.


Who were the supporters of the Federalists?


A. FarmersB. ManufacturersC. ImmigrantsD. The working classesE. Merchants

Who supported the Democratic-Republicans?


A. FarmersB. ManufacturersC. ImmigrantsD. The working classesE. Merchants

How did Jefferson and Hamilton disagree over the government?

A. Hamilton wanted state governments to have more power.

B. Hamilton wanted a strong central government.

C. Jefferson wanted to limit the power of state governments.

D. Jefferson feared that a strong federal government could lead to tyranny.


How did Jefferson and Hamilton disagree over the Constitution?

A. Hamilton was a strict constructionist.B. Jefferson was a strict constructionist.C. Jefferson was a loose constructionist.D. Hamilton did not support the elastic

clause.

How did Jefferson and Hamilton disagree over the national bank?

A. Hamilton opposed it as unconstitutional.B. Jefferson opposed it as unconstitutional. C. Jefferson supported it because of the

elastic clause.D. Hamilton claimed it violated the elastic

clause.

How did Hamilton and the Federalists view the common people?

A. As people with little talent and no ambition to improve their situation

B. As a frightening and unstable mob

C. As good, honest people filled with common sense

D. As the citizens best suited for government

How did Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans see the common people?

A. As people who would quickly give their support to a tyrant

B. As a frightening and unstable mob

C. As good, honest people filled with common sense

D. As the citizens best suited for government


How did Jefferson and Hamilton disagree over America’s future?

A. Hamilton favored a nation of cities, trade, and manufacturing.

B. Hamilton wanted to stop the nation’s expansion at the Mississippi River.

C. Jefferson pictured a rural nation of planters and farmers.

D. Jefferson favored a nation of small businessmen.


Documents

Section 9.3: The Federalists in Charge