When the USA got independence from Britain, and it formed its first Republican form of government, there were no political parties. The first president of USA did not have an affiliation with any political party, and he believed that political parties create division in the society. The American Revolution had started when members of American colonial society protested that they would not pay any taxes without their representation in decision making about their country. However, for the establishment of a representative form of government, the formation of political parties was inevitable. Political parties are meant to represent a certain ideology.
The first sign of formation of political parties emerged when the people who were to ratify constitution of USA were divided on the issue of division of power between the central government and states. There were two factions with opposing views; Federalists wanted a strong centralized government whereas the anti-federalists believed that states should have more autonomy in their affairs. The Federalists like James Madison and Alexander Hamilton made a case for strong central government in federalist papers.
In the 1790s two political parties emerged named Federalists Party and Democratic Republican party. The Federalists were opposed to the democratic system which was unchecked. Their reservations about unchecked democracy arose from the anarchy that had resulted from French Revolution. The Democratic Republicans believed that a form of democracy overseen by educated elite would lead to an authoritarian state. The Federalists ultimately prevailed when the Constitution manifested ideas they had proposed. The Federalists were not organized as a formal political party, but they promoted conservative notions regarding social hierarchy, secondary role of women and slaves in the society and property rights. Though the Federalists succeeded in framing their desired Constitution, anti-federalists adamantly called for inclusion of Bill of Rights to protect ordinary people from oppression. The Bill of Rights was eventually passed in 1991. In early 1990s Thomas Jefferson ardently opposed the economic policies that widened the gap between wealthy and poor. Thus Democratic Republican party was formalized, and it advocated limited government.
Federalists represented the interest of commercial class and merchants whereas Democratic Republicans became the guardians of the rights of common people. The Federalists believed that monarchy could provide stability whereas the Democratic Republicans supported common people’s claim to the government. The 1796 presidential elections were contested along partisan lines due to the conflict between the two political parties over their views on French Revolution. The Federalist John Adams won the very close election to Thomas Jefferson. During John Adam’s presidential term, Sedition laws were passed to indict those who criticized the government which undermined the Democratic Republicans. However, Thomas Jefferson won the elections in 1800, and he was elected for the second term as well.
In the 1820s, Andrew Jackson became the harbinger of the second political party system. He championed the rights of common people which had a significant impact on American political culture. The consolidation of the middle class working class played an important role in this system. He heralded an era of democracy in which common people fully participated. He won the presidential elections in 1829 due to his charismatic appeal to the middle class and working class. His victory was widely celebrated by the common people. Jackson is called the founder of Democratic Party. Party had become obsolete by this time. Jackson was against big banks which enraged a faction of individuals that formed Whigs Party. They believed that Jackson was wielding enormous presidential powers at the expense of principles of separation of power. Both political parties differed on the privileges of elite class too.
Works Cited
OpenStax, U.S. History. OpenStax CNX. 28 Jul 2017 http://cnx.org/contents/[email protected]
