Political Parties Vs Federalists

During the early years of our nation, there was not a great deal of brotherly love, peace and agreement that could be found in the government. Two political parties had evolved that possessed interests that spanned both ends of every argument and political idea. The Federalists believed that the nation should have a very centralized government and stood firm that this would bring about the most order and prosperity. To the contrary, Republicans wanted the rights to stay with the people and States and therefore felt that the federal government should have little control to protect the rights of the people. Many historical documents record the struggles between the two parties. The main struggles revolved around three areas. The first area …show more content…
Any decision that had to be made, the Republicans believed they should use the Constitution as the authority to make the appropriate decision. If the Constitution did not delegate the power to the Federal government, Republicans thought that the States should have the authority. Jefferson stated this in the Kentucky resolution when he wrote, “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively or to the people”.
Freedom of speech was also an area of dispute. Freedom of speech came under attack in The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 were written, many believed, to weaken the Republican party. This act consisted of four laws that were targeted at the Republicans’ power and ability to grow in numbers as well as grow in strength. The Naturalization Act made it more difficult for immigrants to become citizens by extending the timeline from five years to 14 years. During that time, most immigrants favored the Republican party, so this would hurt the growth of the party. The Alien Enemies Act allowed for male citizens of other nations during war to be deported or arrested, and the Alien Friends Act gave the president the right to deport immigrants that they suspected were spying or plotting against the government. The last law which was the Sedition Act was the law that limited the freedom of speech …show more content…
They felt this was the best way to keep control. Republicans wanted the people to have the ultimate say. Republicans felt that the First National Bank was going to favor northern businesses as opposed to southern businesses. Jefferson wrote, “To make a thing which may be bought and sold, is not to prescribe regulations for buying and selling.” The First National Bank gave more power to the Federal government than the States. The control of the Federal government over the States continued to be evident in the Alien and Sedition Acts. The Kentucky Resolution pointed out the desire of Republicans to favor local government over Federal government when Jefferson stated, “the several States composing the United States of America, are not united on the principle of unlimited submission to their general