Republicans and Federalists
...s with the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. These policies cost them much of their support, including that of Madison, who with Thomas Jefferson organized the Democratic-Republican Party, which drove the Federalists from power in the election of 1800. They continued to bug the heck out of the Republican government, but by 1824 the Federalists had ceased to function as an effective political organization. Main points of the Federalists – they were nationalists and they were elitists. They wanted a strong national government, with standing army and power over the states, as opposed to local governments. They also distrusted the common masses and so tried to be very elitist. They were pro-British and sorta wanted a British aristocracy on this side of the pond too. They wanted the president to be called “Your Highness” etc. Federalists wanted to pay off all of war bonds because they were mostly held by upper class and they wanted to be on the good side of the rich. Also, they hated the French because of their developing republican ideology. Republicans - When political alignments first emerged in George Washington's administration, opposing factions were led by Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. In the basic disagreement over the nature and functions of government and of society, the Jeffersonians advocated a society based on the small farmer; they opposed strong centralized government and were suspicious of urban commercial interests. Their ideals-opposed to those of the Federalist party-came to be known as Jeffersonian democracy, based in large part on faith in the virtue and ability of the common man and the limitation of the powers of the federal government. This group of anti-Federalists, who called themselves Republicans or Democratic Republicans (the name was not fixed as Democratic until 1828), supported many of the ideals of the French Revolution and opposed close relations with Great Britain. Led by Jefferson and his ally James Madi...