Introduction
From the Declaration of Independence and till 1789, the U.S. experienced a period characterized by the development of government, legislature, and the division of political power. In the early 1790s, the two opposing political parties developed, known as Democratic-Republicans and Federalists. The latter were more influential at first and “adhered to a decidedly British notion of social hierarchy.”1 Democratic-Republicans, on the contrary, viewed the Federalist’s principles as the opposition to economic equality. The following three decades resulted in the prevalence of decentralization and the fall of the Federalists Party that significantly changed the country’s politics in contrast to 1789.
Main body
The transfer of power between these two parties that happened in 1800 identified the direction of national politics for the following decades. The presidency of Jefferson was marked by the development of democratic tendencies in the USA. Jefferson led the opposite politics to that of Federalists, as he “championed the rights of states and insisted on the limited federal government as well as limited taxes.”2 The Federalist Party kept losing popularity and faced its complete downfall after a series of conflicts with Britain between 1812 and 1815. Refusing to provide the militia for the war and continuing to trade with the British, they undermined their reputation and have never regained influence since that period.
This division reflects that the country’s priorities are not the same as they were in 1789. In 1789, the newly formed republic required union and strong leadership of its founders. In 1820, on the contrary, the emphasis on decentralization prevailed over the Federalists’ ideas of a strong government. Nevertheless, the Republicans often lacked consensus within the party, and, in 1805, they divided into two opposing factions of Nationalist Republicans and Old Republicans. This division was not a complete breakup, but it led to the split that would happen in 1824.
Conclusion
The period between the implementation of the Constitution and 1820 is characterized by a shift of power from the Federalist Party to the Republicans, which has entirely changed the politics of the USA. In 1789, the political influence was divided between two parties – the Federalists led by Hamilton and Republicans led by Jefferson. Within three decades, the powers completely switched as the Federalists disappeared, and two new parties were emerging from the Democratic-Republicans. This change caused decentralization and contributed to the final tearing of colonial bonds with Britain.
References
Corbett, P. Scott, Volker Janssen, John M. Lund, Todd J. Pfannestiel, and Paul S. Vickery. U.S. History. Houston, TX: OpenStax, Rice University, 2017.
Footnotes
- P. Scott Corbett et al., U.S. History (Houston, TX: OpenStax, Rice University, 2017), 212.
- P. Scott Corbett et al., U.S. History, 229.