The Growth Of Political Parties Dbq 662e6q

Taniela B. Pututau A2 The Growth of Political Parties (DBQ)

11/10/15

Throughout the course of many years political parties have altered and gained much power. During the 1790s there were two different mindsets within President Washington’s cabinet. They were the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans (Doc 5).Each had different ideas that changed our government significantly. The rising of political parties was due to the different views and perspectives on the government, how to correctly interpret the Constitution, and the creating of a national bank. The parties had multiple perspectives on the government. One view came from Alexander Hamilton who was a Federalist. The Federalist ed the idea of a central government power. Another man named Thomas Jefferson was a Democratic-Republican. They believed in emphasis of the state power. Hamilton and Jefferson did not get along due to their views. Jefferson mocked Hamilton saying he was a monarchist and only wanted to help himself and the wealthy (Doc 1). Hamilton mocked Jefferson by saying he was a danger to the new government and too attached to the constitution (Doc 2). This proved to play a major factor as citizens began taking sides in of either Jefferson or Hamilton. The Federalists (Hamilton) and the Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson) interpreted the constitution differently. The Federalists interpretation of the Constitution and was that it was alterable and flexible. They believed the amendments were guidelines. The DemocraticRepublicans had a stricter interpretation of the Constitution. They respected the amendments as laws and were strict about it. The Sedition Act is an example of two parties clashing due to different interpretations of the constitution. Congressman Allen defended the Sedition Act saying it was “freedom of speech” (Doc 6). However George Hay (Virginia State Legislature) argued

that the act was not freedom of speech (Doc 7). This led to more separation as people began to their party to gain the overall interest of the nation. Another factor leading to the rise of political parties was the debate on creating a national bank. Hamilton wanted a bank to centralize government finances and have power. Jefferson opposed the idea saying it was unconstitutional and it was the state's right to develop banks. Hamilton's excise tax was an example of causing rebellion (Doc 3). Jefferson opposed the tax but didn't do anything when he heard the rebellion. However Hamilton won the debate and created the bank which still stands today. In addition to the causes of rising political parties President Washington foretold the truth. Washington stated that political parties were an evil and would cause rebellion and divide the country (Doc 4). Nobody listened to this advice and even today political parties have led to many problems. Political parties have gained power since the 1790s. From the Whigs, to the federalists down to the modern day republicans. Each party s different views. However the causes of political party rising were due to different views on government, interpretation of constitution, and creating a national bank. Each factor contributed to the rise of political parties.