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