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The Federalists and the Emergence of Parties,1789-1800
HIS 103
Why the Founding Fathers Feared Parties
Understood fragile nature of a republic Absence of strong central government
left republics vulnerable to attack Dependence on civic virtue scary
Parties seen as divisive factions Disinterested elites were supposed to
serve the common good Parties promoted private interests
Matthew Lyon Assaults Roger Griswold in Congress
How to Handle Parties Most believed parties were evil & must
be suppressed Madison argued parties were inevitable,
so government must check & balance competing interests Indirect elections refined the popular will Supermajorities required for important things Separation & balance of powers among 3
branches and between federal & state gov’ts
The 2-Party System Parliamentary systems have multiple parties
Prime Minister & cabinet are members of parliament – not separately elected
Multiple parties makes it difficult for 1 party to win majority – usually need to form coalition gov’t
Presidential system results in 2 parties in U.S. Separate election for President requires creation
of nationwide majority U.S. parties are therefore coalitions: center-left
and center-right
Four stages of party development:
Factionalism – short-lived groups form in Congress around issues & personalities
Polarization – factions become more permanent groups, working together on a range of issues
Expansion - party affiliation becomes a significant factor in elections
Institutionalization – national party organizations form permanent link between parties and voters
The First Two Parties Federalists:
Mostly Northerners Lived in coastal areas Had commercial
interests pro-British Leader = Alexander
Hamilton
Republicans: Mostly Southerners Lived in inland
areas Had agrarian
interests pro-French Leader = Thomas
Jefferson
Ideological Differences Neither party accepted the other as
legitimate – no concept of loyal opposition
Policy differences flowed from ideological differences Hamilton had negative view of human nature
– believed government must channel private interests into public service
Jefferson had more positive view – believed government should remove all evil influences on society (including government itself)
President Washington Set the tone for the
presidency: formal 1st Inaugural Address
(1789) appealed to character of leaders
Chose cabinet based on ability, not partisanship Hamilton was Secretary
of the Treasury Jefferson was Secretary
of State
Alexander Hamilton’s Plan Report on Public Credit (1790):
Pay off combined national ($52 million) & state ($25 million) debts
Issue new bonds at face value Report on a National Bank (1790):
80% private, 20% public control New bank notes accepted by
government, but not backed by gold Report on Manufactures (1791):
Protective tariff would encourage manufacturing
Revenue would service debt
The Trade: Bank of the U.S. for Washington, D.C.
Western Expansion
Federalist Foreign Policy Treaty of Greenville
(1795) secured most of Ohio Country from Indians
Jay’s Treaty (1795) reopened British trade & est. joint arbitration commission to resolve war claims
Pinckney’s Treaty (1795) settled Florida boundary with Spain & won navigation rights on the Mississippi River
Adams Administration
XYZ Affair (1797): French agents tried to
extort bribe from Americans before negotiating
Led to undeclared naval war (“Quasi-War,” 1798-1800)
Adams defied party to negotiate peace with Napoleon in 1800 – cost him reelection Maiden America ravished by the
French
Pres. John Adams
Quasi-Wartime Hysteria Alien and Sedition Acts (1798):
Naturalization Act extended waiting period for citizenship to 14 years
Alien & Alien Enemy Acts gave President power to deport aliens for political reasons
Sedition Act made seditious libel a federal crime Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions:
Authored by Madison & Jefferson Said states could declare federal laws
unconstitutional & interpose themselves to prevent their execution