dbq essay

In present-day times, the American political system is most frequently associated with the ongoing issues between political parties. Two major political parties that formed during the 1790s were The Democratic-Republicans (Anti Federalist party) led by Thomas Jefferson, and the Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton. But several years ago these political parties did not exist and many of the leaders were pleased they didn’t. George Washington warned America’s people of the dangers of these separate parties in “The Farewell Address” an excerpt as shown in Document 4. He believed that political parties would divide our country and kindle animosity. Even though many tried to oppose them, political parties still began to rise. What lead to the rise of these political parties was the different views on the government, how to interpret the Constitution. The Federalists consisted of powerful and wealthy people, they were mostly lawyers businessmen and bankers. The Democratic Republicans on the other hand consisted of common people such as farmers. Both of the parties had different views on the government. Hamilton and the Federalist Party believed in a strong federal government while the Democratic Republicans believed in strong state rights. In document two Alexander Hamilton states that James Madison and Thomas Jefferson are dangerous to the new government; that they have a “womanish attachment to France and a womanish resentment against Great Britain.” Jefferson, on the other hand, had a different view about Hamilton. Jefferson stated in document one that Hamilton was a monarchist and only wanted to help his wealthy friends. Jefferson also thought that the Federalists were all aristocrats and monocrat as stated in document five. The Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans also had different views about how to interpret the Constitution. The Federalists had a loose interpretation of the Constitution and thought it was flexible.