US History

U.S. History Study Guide

recovery with a large profit. They felt the original purchasers should at least share in the profits as well. Jefferson and his followers opposed the tax program and felt it would be funded on the backs of small farmers. They saw Hamilton’s entire program as helping the small elite group at the expense of the common citizen. The big manufacturers and commercial interests benefitted but the small farmers suffered. The Appearance of Political Parties Political parties had been considered harmful by the founding fathers, since they were seen to cause factions and disunity. This fracturing is why political parties are mentioned in the Constitution, but the differences in the philosophy began to divide the leaders of the government into opposing parties, the Federalists and Republicans. 8.7 Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists Hamilton favored a strong central government and interpreted the Constitution as having justified powers. This meant the government was given all powers which were not denied to it. This is the broad interpretation of the role of the federal government and its influence, and the stance of the Federalist Party. 8.8 Thomas Jefferson and the Republicans (Democratic-Republicans) Jefferson and Madison held the view that any action not stated in the Constitution should be prohibited and not given to the Federal government. This is known as the “strict” interpretation, and the Republicans opposed the establishment of Hamilton’s national bank on this view of too much government control. The Jeffersonian supporters, under the leadership of James Madison, created political groups that opposed to the Federalist program, and called themselves Republicans, also called the Democratic-Republicans. Sources of Partisan Support The Federalists received the most support from the business and financial groups in the commercial centers of the Northeast and in the port cities of the South. The strength of the Republicans lay primarily in the rural and frontier area of the South and West. 8.9 Foreign and Frontier Affairs The French Revolution When the French Revolution broke out, many Americans tried to stay away from getting pulled into this conflict, but eventually Revolutionary France went to war with other European powers in 1792.

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