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american goverment

Political Parties of the American Government

The history of American government is characterized by many political parties . Before , there existed the Federalist Party and Whig Party . At present , the two major political parties are the Republican Party and Democratic Party

The Federalist Party was one of the first political parties to emerge in American politics (Banner , 2006 . It was established during the first administration of George Washington , and had originated from the executive and legislative departments of his government (Banner , 2006 The party controlled the government , but it lost its political

br influence in 1800 when it lost in the election (Banner , 2006 . From 1800 until 1816 , the party struggled to challenge the presidency (Banner , 2006 . After the party 's downfall , its members became part of either Andrew Jackson 's Democratic Party or the Whig Party (Banner 2006

The Federalist Party was formed after the year 1794 (Banner , 2006 The 1789 inauguration of George Washington was followed by a debate that ensued because of the proposals of Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton (Banner , 2006 . His proposals included the assumption of state debts , the funding of national debt at par value , and the charter of a national bank ' which were later made into law (Banner , 2006 These proposals were opposed by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and Congressman James Madison (Banner , 2006 . Thereafter , the distinction between the parties became apparent , as Hamilton stood for the Federalist Party , while Jefferson and Madison represented the Democratic-Republican Party (Banner , 2006

The Federalist Party was best identified with its preference of aristocracy and its disregard for democracy (Banner , 2006 . The party had the support of the Northeast , but failed to gain the patronage of the Southern and Western farmers . Washington was closely associated with the Federalists at the tail end of his second term , and his 1796 Farewell Address became a major Federalism document (Banner , 2006 Other Federalists include John Adams , John Jay , John Marshall , George Cabot and Charles Cotesworthy Pinckney (Banner , 2006 . The most notable accomplishments of the party include the foundation of a national economy , the establishment of a national judicial system and the introduction of foreign policy (Banner , 2006

The Whig party is another American political party , which existed from 1834 until 1856 (Nathans , 2006 . The party was established as an opposition to the Democratic Party , specifically to Andrew Jackson . The Whig party arose from another party , the National Republican Party (Nathans , 2006 . The National Republican Party was created in support of President John Quincy Adams , and had Kentucky 's Henry Clay and Massachusetts 's Daniel Webster as leaders (Nathans , 2006 . The party had a program called the American System , which upheld the federal sponsorship of roads and canals , the imposition of high tariffs for the protection of American manufacturers , the foundation of a national bank and a go-slow policy on public land sales and settlements (Nathans 2006

Unfortunately , Adams lost to Jackson , who undermined the entire American System . Jackson also won against Clay in the reelection (Nathans , 2006 . This led to the...

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