FEDERALIST PARTY
The Federalist Party was an American political
party during the late eighteenth and early nine-
teenth centuries. It originated in the loosely
affiliated groups advocating the creation of a
stronger national government after 1781 and
culminated with the laws and policies estab-
lished by Federalist lawmakers from 1789 to
1801. These laws and policies laid the founda-
tion for a strong central government in the
United States, thereby securing the transition
from the provisional national government
established during the Revolutionary War and
continuing under the ARTICLES OF CONFEDERA-
TION to the intricate system of checks and bal-
ances contemplated for the three branches of
government in the U.S. Constitution.
The Federalist party’s early leaders included
ALEXANDER HAMILTON, JOHN JAY, JAMES MADI-
SON, and GEORGE WASHINGTON. These men
provided much of the impetus and organization
behind the movement to draft and ratify the fed-
eral Constitution. Their support came from the
established elites of old wealth in the commer-
cial cities and in the less rapidly developing rural
regions.
Even before the Articles of Confederation
were ratified by the original 13 states in 1781,
prominent Americans were criticizing the docu-
ment for having failed to create a strong federal
government. In 1783, George Washington, as
368 FEDERALIST PARTY
WEST’S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN LAW, 2nd Editioncommander in chief of the army, sent a circular
to state governors discussing the need to add
tone to our federal government. Three years later
Washington and his political allies were refer-
ring to those who opposed strengthening the
power of the central government under the Arti-
cles of Confederation as antifederal.
At the Constitutional Convention in 1787,
those favoring a stronger central government
drafted a Constitution that greatly increased the
powers of Congress and the executive. Debate
over ratification of the Constitution sharpened
the lines separating those who called themselves
federalists and those who called themselves
antifederalists. Much of this debate was formal-
ized in The Federalist, later called The Federalist
Papers.
Originally written as 85 tracts under the
name Publius, the pro-Federalist essays were
published in New York City newspapers between
October 27, 1787, and May 28, 1788. Each essay
was written to persuade the people of New York
to elect delegates who would ratify the federal
Constitution in the forthcoming state conven-
tion. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison
were the principal authors, while John Jay wrote
five essays. The Federalist Papers are today con-
sidered America’s most important political trea-
tise and the most authoritative source for
understanding the ORIGINAL INTENT of the
Founding Fathers.
After the Constitution was ratified, the Fed-
eralist party dominated the national govern-
ment until 1801. The Federalists believed that
the Constitution should be loosely interpreted
to build up federal power. They were generally
pro-British, favored the interests of commerce
and manufacturing over agriculture, and
wanted the new government to be developed on
a sound financial basis. Accordingly, Secretary of
Treasury Hamilton proposed tax increases and
the establishment of a national bank.
During their 12-year reign, the Federalist
party settled the problems of the revolutionary
debt, sought closer relations with Great Britain
in Jay’s Treaty of 1794, and tried to silence their
domestic critics with the ALIEN AND SEDITION
ACTS of 1798. These repressive laws cost the Fed-
eralist party much of its support, including that
of Madison, who with THOMAS JEFFERSON
organized the DEMOCRATIC-REPUBLICAN PARTY.
The Democratic-Republicans, also known
as just the Republicans, opposed the policies
and laws of the Federalist party at every turn.
Republicans were generally pro-French and pro-
agriculture. They believed that the Constitution
should be strictly interpreted, favored strong,
independent states at the expense of the federal
government, and opposed the creation of a
national bank.
The Federalist party lost control of the
national government when Jefferson became
president in 1801. The Federalists continued to
diminish in popularity for the next 20 years.
The party’s last significant political victory
came in the IMPEACHMENT trial of SAMUEL
CHASE, associate justice to the U.S. Supreme
Court and staunch Federalist, who had been
impeached by a Republican-controlled House
of Representatives for what they called judicial
misconduct.However, in his trial before the Sen-
ate, Chase and his attorney convinced enough
Senators that the impeachment charges boiled
down to little more than partisan politics and
that convicting Chase would imperil the inde-
pendence of the federal judiciary. Chase was
