Federalist Party
In the wake of the early beginnings of America, many agendas clamored for attention as to the direction the nation should take, and the Federalist Party played a major part. One of the formidable political parties of its time, Federalist Party ideologies were largely elitist. For Federalists, the defining characteristic was their championship for a stronger central government, with the view that it would lead to a more powerful nation. As a party, Federalists generally frowned upon democracy as they thought it would give the opportunity for poor leadership to arise in states. Various arguments were presented in favor of the Federalist ideology.
In keeping with the activities of a strong national government, the Federalist Party …show more content…
The argument presented in this regard is the fact a national government would have the resources of the whole country at their disposal, as opposed to individual states that could only rely on their resources. Coupled with this, Federalist views on the role of national government saw them advocate for the creation of a National Bank that would serve as a way of regulating commerce within the country (Kazin et al. 231). As such, the bank would provide secure storage for the funds of the national government, and charged with the collection of tax revenue on behalf of the government, as well as the expenditure of that tax. The establishment of a national bank was opposed by the Jefferson administration because they were of the view that it neither paid any bills nor collected tax. According to Noel, Federalists also advocated for federal government tariffs on trade (21). As a result, these tariffs were not only protective of local traders, they also increased foreign trade levies, which would, in turn, lead to greater revenue collection and overall economic growth. As such, the main points of view of Federalists centered on economic policy centered on a regulatory national bank as well as tariffs to promote …show more content…
Due to strained French-American relations, Federalists made an unpopular decision to prepare for war with the French. In a move that saw even more public outcry, the Federalists enacted the Alien and Sedition Act. Under this pretext, the Federalist leadership had the intention of repatriating French citizens that they saw as dangerous to the country. As such, the Act increased the minimum requirements for naturalization into American citizenship from five to fourteen years (Kazin et al. 294). Further, the Act made it lawful for the President to deport back to their countries any persons that were seen as threats to the nation, which was the intention of the Federalists. This Act was however rendered unconstitutional by the passing of the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions, which voided it. The Act saw the popularity of the Federalist Party dip even further than before.
Moreover, Federalists insisted that in keeping with a strong national government, federal courts were necessary in order to protect the people. In their arguments, Federalists espoused the view that the bulk of judicial power was granted to state governments. Therefore, Federalists saw the need to unite and strengthen the judicial system under federal jurisdiction (Riker 36). Due to leadership that espoused Federalist ideology, the vital role of the Supreme Court was established. In essence, Federalists helped
In the wake of the early beginnings of America, many agendas clamored for attention as to the direction the nation should take, and the Federalist Party played a major part. One of the formidable political parties of its time, Federalist Party ideologies were largely elitist. For Federalists, the defining characteristic was their championship for a stronger central government, with the view that it would lead to a more powerful nation. As a party, Federalists generally frowned upon democracy as they thought it would give the opportunity for poor leadership to arise in states. Various arguments were presented in favor of the Federalist ideology.
In keeping with the activities of a strong national government, the Federalist Party …show more content…
The argument presented in this regard is the fact a national government would have the resources of the whole country at their disposal, as opposed to individual states that could only rely on their resources. Coupled with this, Federalist views on the role of national government saw them advocate for the creation of a National Bank that would serve as a way of regulating commerce within the country (Kazin et al. 231). As such, the bank would provide secure storage for the funds of the national government, and charged with the collection of tax revenue on behalf of the government, as well as the expenditure of that tax. The establishment of a national bank was opposed by the Jefferson administration because they were of the view that it neither paid any bills nor collected tax. According to Noel, Federalists also advocated for federal government tariffs on trade (21). As a result, these tariffs were not only protective of local traders, they also increased foreign trade levies, which would, in turn, lead to greater revenue collection and overall economic growth. As such, the main points of view of Federalists centered on economic policy centered on a regulatory national bank as well as tariffs to promote …show more content…
Due to strained French-American relations, Federalists made an unpopular decision to prepare for war with the French. In a move that saw even more public outcry, the Federalists enacted the Alien and Sedition Act. Under this pretext, the Federalist leadership had the intention of repatriating French citizens that they saw as dangerous to the country. As such, the Act increased the minimum requirements for naturalization into American citizenship from five to fourteen years (Kazin et al. 294). Further, the Act made it lawful for the President to deport back to their countries any persons that were seen as threats to the nation, which was the intention of the Federalists. This Act was however rendered unconstitutional by the passing of the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions, which voided it. The Act saw the popularity of the Federalist Party dip even further than before.
Moreover, Federalists insisted that in keeping with a strong national government, federal courts were necessary in order to protect the people. In their arguments, Federalists espoused the view that the bulk of judicial power was granted to state governments. Therefore, Federalists saw the need to unite and strengthen the judicial system under federal jurisdiction (Riker 36). Due to leadership that espoused Federalist ideology, the vital role of the Supreme Court was established. In essence, Federalists helped