At the founding of the nation, there were no political parties in existence. “George Washington in his farewell address warned the nation of the “baneful effects” of parties…” (Patterson, 2015 pg.235) It was the competition of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, which encouraged the development of the first two political parties in America. One of these parties was the Federalist Party, which was Hamilton’s who attempted to make the government stronger through business. Jefferson in return created the Democratic-Republican Party. “The name harkened to the spirit behind the Declaration of Independence and reflected the party’s strength among small farmers and states’ rights advocates.” (Patterson, 2015
