The First Political Parties

Parties in the United States

- An organized group of people with similar political ideas.

- The first political parties were not the Democrats and Republicans.

Opposing Parties

- Even though most people liked Washington while he was president, some people did not.

- Typically supporters of Jefferson

- Jefferson’s supporters attacked Washington in hopes to weaken Hamilton

- However, no parties existed yet (thought it was harmful to the nation)

Partisan

- Partisan - someone who strongly favors one group over the other

- Washington believed he was not a partisan

- However he clearly sided with Hamilton most of the time

Federalist Party

- Led by Hamilton

- Believed in a strong federal government

- Believed the Constitution gave government implied powers

- implied powers - powers not listed in the Constitution but believed to belong to the federal government

- Federalists believed they could make all laws “necessary and proper”

- Wanted the nation to be a strong manufacturing nation.

Democratic-Republican Party

- Often just called Republicans (not like the modern day Republicans)

- Led by Jefferson and Madison

- Believed in a strict reading of the Constitution

- They believed that if the Constitution did not give the government a power, then the government did not have that particular power

- Rejected idea of implied power

- Wanted the nation to be an agrarian.

National Bank Debate

- Arguments over the national bank made the existence of parties evident

- Hamilton believed that since the Constitution gave the national gov’t the power to borrow money that then a bank should exist

- Republicans disagreed with Hamilton

The Role of the People

- Federalists and Republicans debated over the role of the citizens

- Federalists = wanted a representative gov’t

- Did not believe the people were smart enough to rule their own nation

- Republicans = feared a strong national gov’t

- Wanted ordinary people to be active in the gov’t

Washington’s Reaction

- Washington was nervous about the nation dividing into parties

- Tried to get Hamilton and Jefferson to solve their differences

- Both Hamilton and Jefferson resigned their positions because they were so mad at each other

Election of 1796 - Choosing Candidates

- Both parties held caucuses to decide who they would support for president.

- Caucus = a meeting of a political party to determine their candidates for the election

- Each party chose 2 candidates (total of 4) and electors would pick 2 for president

- Candidate with most votes = President

- Candidate with second most votes = Vice-President

- Federalists = John Adams and Charles Pinckney

- Republicans = Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr

Election of 1796

Adams - 71 - PresidentJefferson - 68 - VP

Pinckney/Burr - 0

Issue with the electoral system

- President Adams was a federalist

- Vice-President Jefferson was an anti-federalist

- How might this cause issues if the President and Vice-President are from different parties?

John Adams as President

- Adams worked in government most of his life

- Attended the Continental Congress

- Helped with foreign relations

- Served as Vice-President for Washington for 2 terms

The XYZ Affair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw0KcA59_8s

The XYZ Affair

- French thought Jay’s Treaty was America’s way of supporting Britain in the conflict between France and Britain

- France as a result attacked American ships trading with Britain

- Adams sent diplomats to Paris to try to solve the problem

- French would not meet with America unless we paid them a bribe

- Adams urged Congress to prepare for war and was furious with the French diplomats he called “X,Y, and Z”!

Alien and Sedition Acts- Public was furious that the French demanded a bribe

- Became suspicious of aliens - a.k.a. people who lived in the U.S. but were not citizens

- Citizens wondered if French aliens would remain loyal to U.S. if they went to war with France

- Federalists passed the Alien and Sedition Acts

- Sedition = Anti-government activities

- Act allowed president to imprison or deport aliens

Issues

- Republicans saw Alien and Sedition Acts as the Federalists taking too much power

- Madison and Jefferson wrote protests against these acts

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions of 1798

- These resolutions called the Alien and Sedition Acts unconstitutional

- Said states would not enforce these laws

- Kentucky Resolution - said states could nullify(cancel) laws that states thought were unconstitutional

Possible War With France

- Federalists still wanted Adams to declare war

- Adams instead sent a representative to seek peace with France

- In 1800 the French signed a treaty to stop attacking U.S. ships

- Hamilton and some other Federalists disagreed with Adams’ decision and split the party right before the election

- Looks like the Republicans may have a good shot at winning the White House.