First Party System Essay

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The party system is a government mechanism still prevalent in today’s society. It is an example of how systems used in previous years can be renovated and used again now. It began with two parties, the Federalist and the Republicans, and has since evolved into the parties that we have today. The influence that the new American country has on us today shows that the past can still relate to the present. The election of 1796 was the first election in the United States’ history to have two candidates running, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, that had strongly opposed political views. This was not as common a thing as it is in our current society, and many, including James Madison, did not see this divide as being permanent, but a temporary grouping for certain controversial divisions (Two Parties Emerge). This First Party System, in which an allegiance with a specific party defined a person’s political views, was where this key element of modern American politics premiered.
The two …show more content…

There was such internal fighting within the Federalists that they could not form a formal opposition. Anti-Federalists feared that concentration of central government would result in a loss of individual and state rights, an aspect that defines American freedom today. They also opposed monetary policies and the Federalist support for trade with the British and were in favor of relations with the French, who helped during the American Revolution. This fall marked the end of Federalist party.
The Republicans were now the only political party in America and the one-party dominance led to the name the Era of Good Feelings. During this time, politicians worked together to better the country.The permitting of the Second Bank of the United States showed how aspects of the Federalists were now supported by the Republicans and how partnership could increase the speed of economic growth