Democrats Vs Federalists Essay

New governments often have rocky starts, and America’s was no exception. The original political parties in America, the Democratic-Republicans and the Federalists, didn’t agree on a lot of things - like the topic of who should be allowed to rule, the wealthy class or the common people. The Democratic-Republicans probably shared beliefs with a lot of us today on this topic. They wanted the power to rule, and to vote, to be given to all people, including common, ordinary, uneducated, poor, illiterate civilians. “The Republicans feared a strong, central government controlled by a few people.” (The American Journey). A large part of this fear came from the idea of basically another England, a monarchy or a dictatorship. They didn’t want the upper class to rule the country, or the lower class to be without representation. They also believed that “liberty would only be safe if ordinary people participated in government.” (The American Journey) Once again, if the ruling class …show more content…
The Federalists didn’t believe that the public/lower class should have an important role in politics. “‘The people are turbulent and changing; they seldom judge or determine right.’ - Alexander Hamilton.” (The American Journey) They thought that in general people were uninformed and ignorant, and ignorant people make bad decisions based on their emotions and thoughts at the time. “Public office, Federalists thought, should be held by honest and educated men who own property and would protect everyone’s rights.” (The American Journey) Federalists believed that the educated had the experience to protect the rights of everyone - even the poorer classes, and even when the results wouldn't benefit themselves. “He [Alexander Hamilton] considered ‘common people’ to be ignorant and incapable of self-government. He believed that the elite should rule, so there should be higher voting qualifications.”