4.1Hamilton, Jefferson, and the first parties

Almost as soon as Washington's government began, his cabinet split. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton envisioned a commercial, industrial nation with a strong central government, a national bank, and close ties to Britain. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson favored an agrarian republic of independent farmers, limited federal power, and sympathy for revolutionary France.

Around these visions formed the first two parties. The Federalists, led by Hamilton and John Adams, championed national power and order. The Democratic-Republicans (Jeffersonian Republicans), led by Jefferson and Madison, championed states' rights and strict reading of the Constitution. Their rivalry defined the first party system—and established that organized parties, whatever the framers hoped, were here to stay.