The Evolution of the Republican and Federalist Parties in the Early US

At the end of the Revolutionary Era there was a common fear of factionalism and the possible tyranny of the majority in the United States. In fact, the new Constitution was designed to minimize the effects of factionalism--it was believed that a large republic would balance the interests of factionalism. However, policy disputes were inevitable, and political alliances formed around these disputes. Was the first-American party system the inevitable if not necessary result of policy disputes? By examining the Federalist and Republican stances on domestic policy, foreign policy and how those parties worked, insight is gained into how and why the party system developed and how it evolved over time.

By examining the Federlist and Republican stances towards domestic policy, it appears that the party system arose because of and out of policy disputes. In the early 1790s political cohesion backed the incumbent Washington Administration. Yet in 1790-1791 opposition fomented in response to t...