Democratic-Republicans Vs Anti-Federalists

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Factions Forming
Prior to the Constitution, our Founding Fathers did not intend for the nation to have any factions. In fact, many saw factions as a danger to the republican government. However, during the ratification process, it became evident that such divisions would rise despite the danger they posed. The earliest faction existed because of differing viewpoints on the ratification of the Constitution. Federalists were for the constitution and a strong national government, whereas Anti-Federalists were opposed to both. With the success of the Federalists, these factions only grew into political parties as our country began implementing the Constitution. Differences in policies, leadership, and beliefs can certainly be held responsible
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These two parties had varying policies relating to foreign relations, the Alien and Sedition Acts, and Hamilton's economic plans. When it came to foreign relations, the Federalist preferred the British and the Democratic-Republicans preferred the French. For instance, Federalists opposed the French Revolution and was against Americans giving support. For the Democratic-Republicans, it was the opposite; they wanted to give their support towards the French cause. Similarly, Federalists favored Jay’s Treaty because they hoped to cultivate a stronger relationship with Great Britain. On the other hand, Democratic-Republicans opposed it since they wanted a stronger relationship with France. In regards to the Alien and Sedition Acts, Federalist saw this as a way to stunt the growth of criticism and opposition to their party. However, Democratic-Republicans thought that it jeopardized individuals’ rights. Finally, Federalist favored Hamilton's economic plans, whereas Democratic-Republicans opposed it. Overall, not sharing common policies only led to more …show more content…
As leaders in their parties, Hamilton and Jefferson only served to encourage the partisan divisions. The two members of Washington’s cabinet had different views on government. From as early as the Constitutional Convention, Hamilton was clearly a Federalist and Jefferson was clearly an Anti-Federalist. These philosophical differences between the two only served as a catalyst for their disputes during Washington’s presidency. Fearing that Hamilton’s economic plans would cause tyranny similar to the British rule, Jefferson created the Democratic-Republican Party to oppose Hamilton’s Federalist Party. Overall, their actions influenced the actions of the American

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