The Rise of the American Political Parties essays

The Rise of the American Political Parties essays Even after the Constitution was drafted, there remained many ambiguous interpretations by the citizens along with politicians of America. The Anti-Federalists, like Thomas Jefferson and Samuel Adams, had a very strict following of the Constitution. However, the Federalists, such as George Washington and James Madison, believed that the Constitution was a set of guidelines rather than a strict collection of laws. These different ideas, along with the election of 1796, helped to create the division of ideas which resulted in the forming of the political parties. The Federalists, who were led by Alexander Hamilton, believed mainly in a strong central government. Hamilton believed that the common populace could not be trusted and that they would become greedy. He also thought that a strong federal government should have most of the authority because the states would become too divided if they were entrusted with individual powers. The goal of the Federalists was to unite the country and to develop a self sufficient economy based on industry as well as agriculture. Another idea that Hamilton and the Federalists shared was to create a financial policy in which the country would establish a system of credit. Furthermore, a national bank would be established along with a countrywide currency to rid the obstacles that threatened the development of industry in the United States. The Anti-Federalists, in contrast, believed in state powers. They feared that the new national government would take too much power away from the states and would not protect the rights of the individual citizens. Most of the federalists were small farmers and debtors, but some were wealthier people. Some Revolutionary heroes, such as George Mason, Richard Henry Lee, Samuel Adams, and Patrick Henry, were also firm anti-federalists. Among them, the most famous was probably Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson believed in state powers, like most anti-federalists, and believed ve...