The Politics Of Party Realignment

The election of 1800, between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, was a shockingly close election in U.S. history. The election consisted of two opposing parties, whose views were essentially exact opposites. Thomas Jefferson belonged to the Democrat-Republican party. Mainly, this party wanted to reduce the national government, so the states could rule more freely. On the other hand, John Adams belonged to the Federalist Party. This party wanted a strong federal government. Throughout the election these two parties fought with one another. The Federalists attacked Jefferson on his religious preference, calling him an “Un-Christian deist,” and attempted to ridicule his symphony for the French Revolution. The Democrat-Republicans attacked Adams and his policies. Mainly, Adam’s beliefs in a strong government, large Army and Navy, and increased taxes. As the election progresses, many thought it was simply a repeat of the Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists debates.

During the time period of 1801 to 1817, there were multiple issues in the United States ranging from wars to political boundaries. This time period saw the termination of the Federalist party. The conflicts were between two parties called the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists. The Federalist party was officially started by John Adams. John Adams was also a loose constructionist just like all the other Federalists. Federalists were in favor of a strong central government. On the other side, was Thomas Jefferson who was in office from 1801 to 1809. Jefferson started the Jeffersonian Republican party. The Jeffersonians were strict constructionists who believed in states rights. They said that anything that is not stated in

As the young colonies of America broke away from their mother country and began to grow and develop into an effective democratic nation, many changes occurred. As the democracy began to grow, two main political parties developed, the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists.      Each party had different views on how the government should be run. The Jeffersonian Republicans believed in strong state governments, a weak central government, and a strict construction of the Constitution. The Federalists opted for a powerful central government with weaker state governments, and a loose interpretation of the Constitution. Throughout the years, the political parties have grown, developed, and even dispersed into

By 1817 the great American experiment was in full swing. America was developing into an effective democratic nation. However as the democracy continued to grow, two opposing political parties developed, the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists. The Jeffersonian Republicans believed in strong state governments, a weak central government, and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. The Federalists saw it differently. They opted for a powerful central government with weaker state governments, and a loose interpretation of the Constitution. The seemingly solid divide between Federalist and Republican would begin to blur during the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. For, neither Republican president was able lead

There was a certain big change in economic and social changes in the United States since 1800. The election of 1800 was between John Adams and Andrew Jackson, which was an emotional and hard-fought campaign. Each side in this campaign thought that the opponent in which would victor, would ruin the nation. Federalists had actually attacked Jackson as an un-Christian deist because they believed his sympathy for the French Revolution would bring similar bloodshed and chaos to the U.S. Overall, the Federalists wanted strong Federal Authority to restrain the excess of popular majorities, while the Democratic-Republicans wanted to reduce national authority so the people would be able to rule through state governments.

During the 1790 the country was split up over the rise of political parties. There were the federalists led by alexander hamilton and the democratic-republicans led by Alexander Hamilton and the democratic republicans led by tomas jefferson. The federalists and democratic-republicans have different views on many things, including the interpretation of the constitution, strong parts of the nation's economy and if the alien and sedition acts were important to have in our country.

First, when the political parties emerged in the 1790’s it was evident that their ideologies were vastly different. The Republican Party wanted a representative form of government that functioned “in the interest of the people.” This party, led by Thomas Jefferson, supported a limited central government, with individual states retaining a majority of the control. Jefferson’s vision was for a nation of farmers, and farmers do not need big government to survive. They feared a large central government would take away the rights of the people. On the other hand, the Federalist Party, led by Alexander Hamilton, supported a strong central government that would pursue policies in support of economic growth, which in turn would provide the freedom the people wanted. Hamilton’s followers also supported a diverse economy.1 It is important to note here however, that both parties knew they would have to become national parties in order to win any elections and both parties had followers in the north and in the south. There was no sectional divide in the parties.

“In spite of the founders’ fears, two major-political factions – the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists were formed even before the Constitution was ratified.” Sidlow, 2015, P 143) Federalists wanted stronger national government and Anti-Federalist (Jefferson Republicans) wanted states’ rights and feared government could become too powerful. In the election of 1796 was the first time candidates from different political party systems held strongly opposed party principles and this time period defined political life as we know it. For the next twenty years the Jefferson Republicans dominated American Politics. In the 1820’s the Jefferson Republicans split into two groups, supporters of Andrews Jackson called their party the Democrats, and the other group called themselves the National Republican Party (Whig Party). During the 1840’s and 1850’s Democrats and Whigs competed for the White House and the two party system fully emerged

From the years 1789 through 1800, Federalist went through many harsh conditions. There were many disputes between the Federalist Party, led by Hamilton, and the Republicans, led by Jefferson. The events that created the most trouble for the Federalists and were most significant in the development of the Federalist Party were creating a national bank, how to pay the national debt, and establishing the public credit. Overall, the Federalists faced more of an economic challenge than anything else.

More than personality fueled the political crisis of the 1790’s; two strong individuals dominated the era. (Reader, 165) The federalist split into two factions over financial policy and the French Revolution, and their leaders, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, offered contrasting visions of the future. (Textbook, 193) The conflict gave rise to political parties by creating factions on opposite political sides. Both saw a great future for the nation but very different approaches.

The origins of the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties can be traced back to the early 1790s. Initially, the Federalists, or broad constructionists, favored the growth of federal power and a strong central government. The Federalists promulgated a loose interpretation of the Constitution, which meant that they believed that the government could do anything by the implied powers of the Constitution or that congress had the right to interpret the Constitution based on connotation. On the contrary, the Democratic-Republicans favored the protection of states’ rights and the strict containment of federal power. The Democratic-Republicans were strict constructionists and they

Though both Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson served as members of President Washington’s cabinet, the two held very different views on the newly founded U.S. government, interpretation of its constitution, and the role of the “masses” in that government. These conflicting views would develop in two political parties, the Federalists led by Hamilton and the Democratic-Republicans led by Jefferson. Although both political parties presented enticing aspects, Hamilton’s views were much more reasonable and fruitful when compared Jefferson’s views; idealistic and too strict in reference to the constitution.

The new nation of the United States of America had many matters to manage, both domestic and foreign. Two political parties emerged to tackle these issues, the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans. Domestic affairs of the United States divided the two emerging political parties more at the time, and had a larger impact on American politics during the 1790’s than foreign affairs.

The parties formed after the Constitution was adopted as the need to systematically search for and encourage popular support became apparent. The structure of a party allows a group of like-minded politicians to mold popular support in the favor of the candidate of their choice where alone they could only accomplish the creation of multiple less organized and therefore less politically potent factions. The nature of the political system already in place gave no value to coming in second or third in elections at any level of government, leading to the natural growth of two strong parties who battle for supremacy at every election (July 22). The winner takes all, and the opposition spends their time getting ready to try again as they wait for their next chance. Once the two parties, Democrat and Republican, were firmly settled in to the system they affected legislation to give themselves automatic ballot access and state funding, making election that much harder for other parties and thereby ensuring that it remained a two party system (July 22).

Recently, I have been working toward a prospectus that deals with political realignment – its history and causes. I want to explore what sociological and political factors lead to political realignment (which is a concept in political science whereby large swaths of the electorate cause a dramatic change in the political system through voting). I will also explore the history of this phenomenon to discover, ultimately, what causes realignment in our politics.