Andrew Server

US History to 1865
Dr. Laegreid
Ellie Parr

After the American Revolution, there existed many new conflicts and divisions among

the aspiring nations citizens. Such divisions that arose include disagreements over how much

power the federal government should retain in relation to state governments, debates over

diplomacy with European powers, the controversy of the development of political parties and the

divisions between those political parties. The reasons that these divisions ensued stemmed from

the expansion of varying ideologies that differed in how people thought the new country ought to

be run. Through this cause of heterogeneous ideologies, these disagreements and divisions came

to be.

As the United States came to realize that they needed to draft a constitution rather than

merely adjust the Articles of Confederation, differing ideologies regarding the distribution of

power between state governments and the federal government came to fruition. This division was

seen in the opposing opinions of Federalists and Anti-Federalists. James Madison, one of the

most prominent supporters of the Federalists, stressed the idea that a centralized federal

government, under the Constitution, was to be the perfect balance between liberty and

power1. Federalists were a proponent of a strong federal government with such powers as the

powers to coin money, manage interstate trade and develop a military. Anti-Federalists voiced an

opposing opinion, claiming that a strong federal government resembled a monarchy. In this

regard, they claimed that it is impossible for one code of laws to suit Georgia and

1
Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty!: An American History (New York: W.W. Norton, 2012) (Page 209)
Massachusetts2 and the idea of an uncompounded republickall reduced to the same standard

of morals, of habits and of laws, is in itself an absurdity3. Instead, they believed that local laws

are necessary to suit the different interests3. As both Federalist and Anti-Federalists championed

differing ideologies in how the country should be run, that led to the culmination of this division

in post-Revolutionary War America.

The rise to power of political parties in America after the Revolutionary War was

contested occurrence in itself and created a division as well. George Washington, in his farewell

address, acknowledges divisions among ideologies of parties as slight shades of difference

while pointing out that as citizens, Americans have the same religion, manners, habits and

political principles4.This is an idealistic view, as in reality, those differences he refers to are

more so intense than he describes. When describing political factions, or parties, he warns that

they distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration5. Washington thought

factions and political parties would be detrimental to the republic. Conversely, John Adams and

Thomas Jefferson, in their differing opinions as to how the nation ought to be run, led to the

forming for the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republican Party respectively. While

Jefferson claimed that every difference of opinionis not a difference of principlewe are all

Republicans, we are all Federalists6, he still sought to to dismantle as much of the Federalist

system as possible7. Adamss and Jeffersons political dealings, as a result, popularized political

parties in election decisions. Even in midst of Washingtons warning of factions in his farewell

2
James Winthrop on the Anti-Federalist Argument from Foner, Eric. Voices of Freedom / a Documentary History.
New York: W.W. Norton &, 2011. (Page 121).
3
James Winthrop on the Anti-Federalist Argument from Foner, Eric. Voices of Freedom / a Documentary History.
New York: W.W. Norton &, 2011. (Page 122)
4
George Washington, Farewell Address from Foner, Eric. Voices of Freedom / a Documentary History. New York:
W.W. Norton &, 2011 (Page 145)
5
George Washington, Farewell Address from Foner, Eric. Voices of Freedom / a Documentary History. New York:
W.W. Norton &, 2011 (Page 147)
6
Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty!: An American History (New York: W.W. Norton, 2012) (Page 236)
7
Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty!: An American History (New York: W.W. Norton, 2012) (Page 237)
address, political parties developed.

The two political parties- the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans had differing

opinions on how the nation would best be run. This brought about divisions between ideologies

of the two parties. The Federalists had a platform that championed more conservative ideals of

the time and viewed politics as an activity for a small group of elite men8. Democratic-

Republicans, however, contested that and aimed to minimize federal power and eliminate

government oversight of the economy9. Both parties saw themselves as believing in what would

be best for the United States, but they differed in opinions so dramatically, that the election of

Thomas Jefferson after the John Adams administration was described as a revolution.

As France and Britain waged war against each other, the question of who to support was

brought up to the aspiring nation. Federalists supported the notion of aiding Britain whereas the

Democratic-Republican Party wanted to aid France. Federalists thought that detested the French

Republic and agreed with Hamilton that the British system was the best in the world10. and

that supporting their mother country should be paramount. Contrastingly, the Democratic-

Republican Party claimed that the nation should remain neutral, and advocated a neutrality that,

if not pro-French, was strict11. In opposition to aiding the very country that the Americans had

only recently won independence from, the Democratic-Republicans sought to remain neutral in

face of the British versus French conflict. The Democratic-Republicans did, however, support

the French Revolution, claiming that it as a step in the universal progress of liberty12. This

differing ideology on what the new nation should do in regards to foreign aid was another

division that the United States faced in post-Revolutionary War America.

8
Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty!: An American History (New York: W.W. Norton, 2012) (Page 233)
9
Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty!: An American History (New York: W.W. Norton, 2012) (Page 237)
10
"New American Nation." Federalists and Republicans in the Early Republic. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
11
"New American Nation." Federalists and Republicans in the Early Republic. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
12
Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty!: An American History (New York: W.W. Norton, 2012) (Page 235)
 There were new divisions that came to be in the newly formed United States of America

after the American Revolutionary War. Those differences were caused by divergent opinions on

how the fledgling country ought to be run. Some of the divisions at hand included the scope of

federal government power in relation the power retained by state governments, what to do in

regards to foreign conflicts, the controversy seen in the development of political parties and

those differences that the political parties had themselves. These divisions so caused by differing

opinions reflect those divisions we see in America today.

 Works Cited

Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012.

Print.

Foner, Eric. Voices of Freedom / a Documentary History. New York: W.W. Norton &,

2011. Print.

"New American Nation." Federalists and Republicans in the Early Republic. N.p., n.d.

Web. 24 Oct. 2013.