Rise of Political Parties essays

Rise of Political Parties essays In the more than 225 years of American Independence, political parties have created partisan republicanism and political division in the United States government. The first major political parties, the Federalists and the Republicans, were created during the term of President George Washington, who warned the nation against creating political parties, which would divide the government and the American people. Despite President Washingtons warning, the rise of the two political parties, in the years after his term was inevitable. Even though the two parties were originally created by the political agendas of mainly Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, the differing views of future leaders and citizens would have eventually created different political organizations. The Federalist Party, created by Hamilton, dominated the political scene for the administration of John Adams, also a Federalist. The Republican Party, essentially created by Thomas Jefferson, controlled the executive and legislative branches during the years following Adams administration. Even though these parties were essentially created out of the differing views of Hamilton and Jefferson, a division in politics was unavoidable. Many of the leaders of the day had opposing viewpoints, including the type of government that should be formed. Federalists believed that a stronger, more central national government should control the nation, while Republicans believed that power should lie more with the states rather than a national government. An example of this can be seen in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolves, where Republicans Thomas Jefferson and James Madison told the Kentucky and Virginia state legislatures that the Federalists had violated the Constitution and states rights by creating the Sedition Act and that states should have the right to determine if the federal government had done something wrong. Republicans believed the American economy shoul...