Political Parties Dbq Essay

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A political party is two different organizations made up of people with different ideas for how the country should be run. They argue over “who is right”. People join political parties who have similar beliefs ( Doc 1). Jefferson and Hamilton created the first two political parties. Jefferson, the Democratic Republicans, and Hamilton, the Federalists, had very different ideas for the new nation. Jefferson believed that people have the ability to govern themselves. He favored giving more power to the state government. However, Hamilton believed in an powerful central government which is in the hands of those few elite men, rich and intelligent men (Doc 2 & 3). Jefferson favored the common man, “the chosen people of God”, and wanted more power …show more content…

He was afraid that a central government held too much power. Power should be spread out among the individual states. He liked how the Articles of Confederation protected the rights of states and individuals from being taken away (Doc 3). “Our country is too large to have all affairs directed by a single government.” states Jefferson. Jefferson also believed that the people should run the government. He believed that the people had the ability to govern themselves. The states should allow the power to govern and make decisions in the hands of those people whose lives are most affected. He believed that the few elite men, Hamilton’s idea, might be tempted to govern for their own benefits because they hold so much power. The purpose of the government is to carry out the wishes of the people (Doc 3). Jefferson stated, “I am not those who fear the people. They, not the rich are our dependence for continued freedom.” The “common man” should be the center of the U.S. economy. Since small, independent farmers were their own bosses, Jefferson believed that they would work hard and create prosperous lives for themselves. This would allow the entire nation to prosper in whole. These individuals are self-sufficient, thus limiting the powers of the federal government. The job of the government, then, would be to keep the country safe and secure foreign threats (Doc