The Two Party System

Ever since the United States became a nation, there has always been a two party system. The two original parties were the Federalist and Democratic-Republican. One was seeking to increase the power of the central government, the other was seeking to decrease it. The Federalist party was founded in 1792 and the Democratic Republican that was founded in 1791 (Insidegov.com, n.d.). The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, believed in the importance of a strong central government to lead the country forward, while the Democratic Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson, believed in increasing the average man’s role in government (study.com, 2003-2016). Although both political parties had the nation’s best interest in mind, the Federalist Party

Jefferson believed in the common sense of mankind in general (study.com, 2003-2016). This meant he did not trust a federal government concept. Democratic-Republicans feared that tyranny would come as a result from a powerful federal government. That is capable of operating without boundaries and could not be challenged by the people. Those fears were unwarranted because the Constitution, did not allow the government to oppressed the citizens of the nation. Because of the checks and balances written in by the founding fathers. These checks and balance made sure that the government would always do what the will of the people wanted. Jefferson would not compromise and lobbied his policies instead. He even went as far as to say “Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers…alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories”. This policy would not benefit the people. It encouraged forming groups for their own interest which is a conflict of interests that not much room for compromise. His unsound plan created the Nullification Crisis. Which was a belief among Southerners that the tariffs were unconstitutional and unenforceable and using force to collect taxes would lead to secession. They argued it was the state legislatures that had the right to pick and choose which federal laws would work in their state. Many politicians of the time believed this crisis would lead to a civil war. Jefferson’s opinions were used to encourage disagreements between South Carolina and the government. Jefferson’s provoking did not stop there. He once said It was England’s government that was corrupt and it was the most corrupt and immoral government on the planet. This statement infuriated the Federalists as well as the loyalists and the people of New England. The Democratic- Republicans continued to prove difficult and created internal problems instead of fixing problems. Jefferson’s