The irony of the stark differences of political viewpoints between the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans is that their differences originate from a common goal - to form a more perfect union. These differing viewpoints can be separated into two categories - hopes and fears. These hopes and fears of the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans differed in the sense that they contrasted politically, socially, and economically pertaining to every issue. Ranging from foreign affairs, the issue of agriculture vs manufacturing, state’s rights, and the economy. However, it was the Federalists that proved most influential.
The Federalist ideals consisted of creating an America in which the nation could support itself in the production of …show more content…
The strive for perfection was the foundation of the Democratic-Republicans’ hopes and beliefs. For example, the Dem-Repubs yearned for a corrupt-free government, and this was in response to the Federalists’ tenure in office. They stated that corruption “had devastating consequences”, and they had hoped to remove ALL corruption by reversing the Federalist policies. Their secondary method of eradicating corruption is through eradicating those politicians who are “fixed on the nominal value of money”. However, this was an inherent trait that every man exhibited, which furthers the point that they strive for idealistic goals. Further contrasting the Federalist, their stance on manufacturing was the opposite - they wanted the United States to be primarily agriculture. Thomas Jefferson believed that the virtue of the Yeoman Farmer is the prime example of what an American citizen’s virtue should consist of. Jefferson referred to the Yeoman Farmer as “the chosen people of God”. In conjunction with the hope for expanding agriculture, Jefferson hoped to expand westward - accommodating more agricultural land. Jefferson exercised this hope by purchasing the Louisiana territory in 1803, and the Federalists refuted this purchase as they saw it as “unpredictable” of …show more content…
In the years of the early nation, after the Jeffersonians took over the political scene, the Federalists lived in constant fear as the Democratic-Republicans often took actions that were iconoclastic to the beliefs of the Federalists. In addition, the Federalists believed that the actions taken by the opposing party were “unpredictable”, as the Jeffersonians’ influence “was used to break down the barrier of habitual morality”. As a result, it eroded the fine layer of predictability stemming from the morals and virtues of the people - “the Federalists of the Old Republic saw familiar social habits decaying”. This further advanced their fears, as there was a shift in society, the Federalist feared an uprising. As stated before, the unpredictability caused anxiousness for the Federalists, as they believed that the nation born from an uprising “had not lost the capacity for violence”, meaning the nation held the potential to erupt in turmoil once again. This capacity was exercised in Shays’ Rebellion, the Whiskey Rebellion, and when Virginia objected the Alien and Sedition Acts, they threatened secession. This fear was exacerbated by the fact that the Federalists yearned to “find the stability that would justify the Revolution”. This fear also came on the heels of the French Revolution, which was a humanitarian disaster.
The Federalist ideals consisted of creating an America in which the nation could support itself in the production of …show more content…
The strive for perfection was the foundation of the Democratic-Republicans’ hopes and beliefs. For example, the Dem-Repubs yearned for a corrupt-free government, and this was in response to the Federalists’ tenure in office. They stated that corruption “had devastating consequences”, and they had hoped to remove ALL corruption by reversing the Federalist policies. Their secondary method of eradicating corruption is through eradicating those politicians who are “fixed on the nominal value of money”. However, this was an inherent trait that every man exhibited, which furthers the point that they strive for idealistic goals. Further contrasting the Federalist, their stance on manufacturing was the opposite - they wanted the United States to be primarily agriculture. Thomas Jefferson believed that the virtue of the Yeoman Farmer is the prime example of what an American citizen’s virtue should consist of. Jefferson referred to the Yeoman Farmer as “the chosen people of God”. In conjunction with the hope for expanding agriculture, Jefferson hoped to expand westward - accommodating more agricultural land. Jefferson exercised this hope by purchasing the Louisiana territory in 1803, and the Federalists refuted this purchase as they saw it as “unpredictable” of …show more content…
In the years of the early nation, after the Jeffersonians took over the political scene, the Federalists lived in constant fear as the Democratic-Republicans often took actions that were iconoclastic to the beliefs of the Federalists. In addition, the Federalists believed that the actions taken by the opposing party were “unpredictable”, as the Jeffersonians’ influence “was used to break down the barrier of habitual morality”. As a result, it eroded the fine layer of predictability stemming from the morals and virtues of the people - “the Federalists of the Old Republic saw familiar social habits decaying”. This further advanced their fears, as there was a shift in society, the Federalist feared an uprising. As stated before, the unpredictability caused anxiousness for the Federalists, as they believed that the nation born from an uprising “had not lost the capacity for violence”, meaning the nation held the potential to erupt in turmoil once again. This capacity was exercised in Shays’ Rebellion, the Whiskey Rebellion, and when Virginia objected the Alien and Sedition Acts, they threatened secession. This fear was exacerbated by the fact that the Federalists yearned to “find the stability that would justify the Revolution”. This fear also came on the heels of the French Revolution, which was a humanitarian disaster.