United States Political Party System

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Ponders 1 Anthony Ponders Mr. Montes AP US History 3 December 2012 DBQ Essay The ideas of government and the United States’ financial program during the 1790’s stimulated the evolution and growth of the first American political party system. George Washington and his colleagues Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton all began to fear and criticize the upbringing of new political parties such as the Federalist Party and Democratic - Republican Party. Washington believed that political parties would destroy the unity of the nation. These new parties brought forth new ideas to the government and began to attempt to alter the government to the rules of their liking. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton laid plans for governmental…show more content…
They disagreed on virtually all aspects of domestic and foreign policy and much of the President's energies were spent in mediating their differences. The Federalist Party; was a party of individuals that include leaders like Alexander Hamilton who advocated for a strong central government and had great business interests. The Federalists beliefs were that they supported the new Constitution of the United States, they believed in a strong national government with powers over the states, also they favored protective tariffs to enable American industry to develop, favored collection of taxes from the states and favored a strong military to protect the nation. However, the Democratic – Republican party led by Thomas Jefferson believed that the Constitution should be strictly interpreted and that the individual states and citizens should retain as many of their powers and rights as possible. These two parties got into many debates about who had the better ideas for the government and say that which party should be dominant or to have total power in the government. In Document B, Washington in his farewell address states that the “domination of one faction over another… is itself a frightful despotism…”.Washington states that if one party is in command then the United States will become unified and most likely get into a civil war. Washington warned of the danger of political parties,…show more content…
During his presidency Washington faced many problems and saw many things that were and could go wrong with the US. An example of this is the excise tax that was placed on whiskey—production of which had increased dramatically in the 1790s—was one of the key elements of Hamilton's fiscal program. This taxation enraged many citizens, and in 1794, resistance to the whiskey tax boiled over in western Pennsylvania with attacks on tax collectors and the formation of several well-armed resistance movements. Washington was alarmed by the Whiskey Rebellion, viewing it as a threat to the nation's existence. In an extraordinary move designed to demonstrate the federal government's preeminence and power, the President ordered militia from several other states into Pennsylvania to keep order. Another domestic problem was The Battle of Fallen Timbers. This battle is important because in this battle the US defeated the major native tribes and took parts of the Ohio territory. The domestic problems in the US led to great outcomes but also there were outcomes that should’ve been different. The foreign affairs that the US dealt with allowed the upcoming political parties to bring forth their ideas of how the government should be run. The French revolution brought up many debates on what the US should do; side with the French monarchy, side with the revolutionaries, or neither. Washington chooses to stay neutral
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