Early American Political Parties

During the process of America’s birth, there were two political sides. (By the way, there are always at least two sides, in any time, to any issue.) These two sides did not develop into “political parties” in the late eighteenth century, but they were deeply divided over the dispute of the Colonies with the British Empire, and how to resolve it.

Positions During the Revolutionary Era

One group wanted England to treat the citizens of the Colonies as British citizens, and not colonialists. The Colonialists felt exploited by England. Slowly, a separate view developed that believed the English Crown would never treat the Colonies with that type of respect; this group came to the conclusion that the only valid course of action was to separate from Britain and form a new, independent country.

The Governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson defended the British position. In 1773, he addressed the Massachusetts General Assembly to make the case that the Colonies were rightly subject to the authority of Parliament. John Adams rebutted his assertions stating that Parliament was not giving the Colonialists their rights owed as British subjects. Regardless, the issue of whether to secede from England was a considerable debate, with numbers on each side, right up to the first shots fired in 1775.

Early American Politics

Following the American Revolution and the formation of the United States of America, the earliest political parties in America were the “Federalist Party” (founded by Alexander Hamilton, with the apparent blessing of George Washington, and John Adams) and the “Democratic-Republican Party” (founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison). Politics at the time was very high, as you can imagine, fresh from the fervor of the Revolutionary War and the founding of a new nation. The two parties had their origins in a fight over shaping of the United States Constitution (passed in 1787). Hamilton believed that a strong central government was necessary for the union to survive and in 1790 began building a coalition to that end. Jefferson led the fight for individual state sovereignty.

As early as 1792, newspapers began calling Hamilton’s coalition Federalists (reflecting support for a strong federal government). Jefferson’s supporters were called Democrats, Republicans, Jeffersonians, or Democratic-Republicans, and were supported heavily by the southern-slave states. Ultimately, the two sides reached a compromise in a Constitution that created a strong central government, with the states retaining sovereign rights not formally granted to the federal government in the Constitution. However, ratification of the United States Constitution did not end the debate.

The Federalists and Democratic-Republicans dominated the political party scene in the first years of American political history. George Washington and John Adams were the first Presidents of the United States. Washington was elected with no substantial opposition. Adams won the Presidency by a very narrow margin over Jefferson in 1800. The rematch would turn ugly.

During the 1804 presidential election, the Federalists, led by Hamilton, attacked Jefferson as an atheist. Jefferson attacked Adams for refusing to aid France in their revolution, stating that Adams was attempting to give America back to Great Britain. Jefferson even went so far as to hire a heckler to follow Adams at any functions he attended.

Jefferson defeated Adams in his bid for a second term in 1804. That ended the reign of the Federalist Party. Jefferson served two terms, followed by fellow Democratic-Republican James Madison for two terms beginning in 1812.

When Andrew Jackson won election in 1832, he was accused of building too much power in the Presidency. Many of the Madison followers broke with the Democratic-Republican Party to join the Whig Party. The Whigs supported reduction of executive power, modernization and economic protectionism. However, the Whig Party, despite electing two presidents (William Harrison and John Tyler), was not strong enough to survive the battle brewing over slavery. When the Whigs fell, Whigs either became Democrats or joined the new Republican Party.

By 1856, the rift between the original Democratic-Republicans had grown into two distinct political parties. The “Democratic Party” and the “Republican Party” have dominated the American political system ever since, electing no President who was not a member of one of those parties.

After obtaining a degree in political science, I embarked on a career in insurance and government. For the last 21 years, I have worked for local government and government associations. I have written articles, as well as manuals, assisting local government in effectively managing their activities and exposures. I have also provided training in these areas, been a frequent speaker at educational seminars, and acted as President of an association of governmental employees.

During this time, I continued an interest in the politics that is embedded in government and where politics is leading this nation in the Twenty First Century.

Rick Lawrence, June 6, 2009
http://www.DemosResPublica.com