TheHatMan98
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The First Party System
The First Party System is means by which historians and political analysts use to describe political system as it existed during the years 1792 (The End of the Hancock Presidency) and 1828 (when the Federalist Party effectively dissolved, and the Democratic-Republicans split). The period itself is much more fluid than later periods, and the parties that dominated did not truly materialise until later in the System. At first the era was marked more by factions, than strict political parties, and began with the election of Samuel Adams as President on an Anti-Federalist ticket, were he campaigned to limit his use of Presidential power, while his opponent’s barley campaigned at all. Initially, the was little to distinguish the two factions as they both had appeals across every demographic, despite their worst assumptions about one another, however a clear distinction began to emerge when Adam’s exercised his rarely used Executive powers.
In Europe, the Wars of the French Revolution were well underway, and Adam’s came under pressure within his own faction and abroad to assist the French Republic, ultimately beginning to favour the French. As rising tensions continued, the Federalist began to emerge as more solid party in opposition to War with Britain for the impact it would have on Trade and the nation’s vulnerability. Adam’s did work the state of tension to his advantage to win the ’96 election, however the outbreak of war afterward would ultimately be to Adam’s detriment. Britain had little interest in persecuting another war across the Atlantic and restricted itself to commerce raiding, which inevitably began to prove the wisdom of the Federalists, and the fragile American economy began to shrink deprived of its biggest trading partners. As the war drag into its third year, apathy turned to calamity when an attempt by Federal troops and militias to dislodge a British landing at Cape Cod was bloodily repulsed. This in turn was followed by the ‘Whisky Rebellion’, a revolt against a Congressional tax on distilled spirits to raise money for the War, to which the President respond to in kind, with the defeated Army in Massachusetts was now turned on. Now the President’s own faction turned on him, leading to the emergence of a new Party under Thomas Jefferson.
With the routing of the Anti-Federalist’s in the 1800, a peace with honour was brokered, and now in the driving seat, the Federalist Party rapidly began introducing some of the biggest changes to the American system: a national debt was established, followed by a national bank; the Navy and Marine Corps were re-established under the authority of the Commander-in-Chief in 1808, at this time the Negotiator of the Peace Treaty with Britain, John Adams; and a true national Capital was established, the City of Columbus, on the banks of the Potomac River. Despite these lasting successes, the Democratic-Republic party was rallying more and more support, galvanised by the rhetoric of its leader, Jefferson, culminating in their seizure of the Presidency after Adams, retaining it until both parties disbanded.
The decline of the System began with the decline of the Federalist Party. Following the death of Alexander Hamilton, the Federalists lost their best and most concrete ideologue - no longer able to match Jefferson in print. (Adams may have had the capacity but once enthroned as President, he chose to compromise and build coaltions in Congress, rather than the mud-slinging that Party politics that he despised requried). As a result the hearts and minds were opened by Jefferson's rehtoric. The final death knell for the First Party System came when the Democratic-Republicans finally imploded when Henry Clay vetoed the Nullification Bills in 1827, a series of proposals by Congress that would render Null existing treats the Federal and State government agreements with Native Tribes in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Tennessee, paving the way for Western expansion and the removal of those tribes West of the Mississippi. Clay believed that the Native American had a legal right to their land, a view infrequently shared. The Party fractured when a coalition of populist, pro-expansionist Northerners and pro-Slavery Southerns rose up in Congress to overturn the Veto, though this Coalition would fail to push through the Nullification Bills they would effectively create a new dicotome in America and the Second Party System...
1789-1792: Fmr. Pres. Of Congress John Hancock (Independent)
(w/ Fmr. Gov. of South Carolina John Rutledge) 1789 def. Gen. George Washington; Fmr. Delegate of New York George Clinton
1792-1801: Fmr. Gov. of Massachusetts Samuel Adams (Anti-Federalist)
(w/ Fmr. Delegate of New York George Clinton) 1792 def. Fmr. Gov. of New York John Jay (Federalist); Gov. of Virginia Henry Lee III (Independent)
(w/ Vice Pres. George Clinton) 1796 def. Fmr. Gov of Virginia Patrick Henry (Federalist); US Minister to France Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican)
1801-1805: General Charles C. Pinckney (Federalist)
(w/ Sen. from New York Aaron Burr) 1800 def. Rep. from Virginia John Marshall (Federalist); Vice Pres. George Clinton (Anti-Federalist)
1805-1813: Sec. of State John Adams (Federalist)
(w/ Fmr. Gov. of New York John Jay) 1804 def. US Minister to France Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican); President Charles C. Pinckney (Federalist)
(w/ Vice Pres John Jay) 1808 def. Sen. From Virginia Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican); Fmr. Vice Pres. Aaron Burr (Democratic-Republican)
1813-1821: Sen. From Virginia Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican)
(w/ Gov. of Virginia James Monroe) 1812 def. Vice President John Jay (Federalist)
(w/ Vice Pres. James Monroe) 1816 def. Sen. From New York Rufus King (Federalist)
1821-1829: Speaker of the House of Reps. Henry Clay (Democratic-Republican)
(w/ Fmr. Sen. From Georgia William H. Crawford) 1820 def. Fmr. Sen. From Massachusetts John Quincy Adams (Federalist)
(w/ Rep. From Louisiana Edward Livingston) 1824 def. Chief Justice John Marshall (Federalist); Rep. from Massachusetts Daniel Webster (Whig)
1829-18??: Rep. from Massachusetts Daniel Webster (Whig)
(w/ Rep. From Ohio John McLean) 1828 def. Sec. of War John C. Calhoun (Nullifier); Sec. of State Martin Van Buren (Anti-Nullifier)
The First Party System is means by which historians and political analysts use to describe political system as it existed during the years 1792 (The End of the Hancock Presidency) and 1828 (when the Federalist Party effectively dissolved, and the Democratic-Republicans split). The period itself is much more fluid than later periods, and the parties that dominated did not truly materialise until later in the System. At first the era was marked more by factions, than strict political parties, and began with the election of Samuel Adams as President on an Anti-Federalist ticket, were he campaigned to limit his use of Presidential power, while his opponent’s barley campaigned at all. Initially, the was little to distinguish the two factions as they both had appeals across every demographic, despite their worst assumptions about one another, however a clear distinction began to emerge when Adam’s exercised his rarely used Executive powers.
In Europe, the Wars of the French Revolution were well underway, and Adam’s came under pressure within his own faction and abroad to assist the French Republic, ultimately beginning to favour the French. As rising tensions continued, the Federalist began to emerge as more solid party in opposition to War with Britain for the impact it would have on Trade and the nation’s vulnerability. Adam’s did work the state of tension to his advantage to win the ’96 election, however the outbreak of war afterward would ultimately be to Adam’s detriment. Britain had little interest in persecuting another war across the Atlantic and restricted itself to commerce raiding, which inevitably began to prove the wisdom of the Federalists, and the fragile American economy began to shrink deprived of its biggest trading partners. As the war drag into its third year, apathy turned to calamity when an attempt by Federal troops and militias to dislodge a British landing at Cape Cod was bloodily repulsed. This in turn was followed by the ‘Whisky Rebellion’, a revolt against a Congressional tax on distilled spirits to raise money for the War, to which the President respond to in kind, with the defeated Army in Massachusetts was now turned on. Now the President’s own faction turned on him, leading to the emergence of a new Party under Thomas Jefferson.
With the routing of the Anti-Federalist’s in the 1800, a peace with honour was brokered, and now in the driving seat, the Federalist Party rapidly began introducing some of the biggest changes to the American system: a national debt was established, followed by a national bank; the Navy and Marine Corps were re-established under the authority of the Commander-in-Chief in 1808, at this time the Negotiator of the Peace Treaty with Britain, John Adams; and a true national Capital was established, the City of Columbus, on the banks of the Potomac River. Despite these lasting successes, the Democratic-Republic party was rallying more and more support, galvanised by the rhetoric of its leader, Jefferson, culminating in their seizure of the Presidency after Adams, retaining it until both parties disbanded.
The decline of the System began with the decline of the Federalist Party. Following the death of Alexander Hamilton, the Federalists lost their best and most concrete ideologue - no longer able to match Jefferson in print. (Adams may have had the capacity but once enthroned as President, he chose to compromise and build coaltions in Congress, rather than the mud-slinging that Party politics that he despised requried). As a result the hearts and minds were opened by Jefferson's rehtoric. The final death knell for the First Party System came when the Democratic-Republicans finally imploded when Henry Clay vetoed the Nullification Bills in 1827, a series of proposals by Congress that would render Null existing treats the Federal and State government agreements with Native Tribes in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Tennessee, paving the way for Western expansion and the removal of those tribes West of the Mississippi. Clay believed that the Native American had a legal right to their land, a view infrequently shared. The Party fractured when a coalition of populist, pro-expansionist Northerners and pro-Slavery Southerns rose up in Congress to overturn the Veto, though this Coalition would fail to push through the Nullification Bills they would effectively create a new dicotome in America and the Second Party System...
1789-1792: Fmr. Pres. Of Congress John Hancock (Independent)
(w/ Fmr. Gov. of South Carolina John Rutledge) 1789 def. Gen. George Washington; Fmr. Delegate of New York George Clinton
1792-1801: Fmr. Gov. of Massachusetts Samuel Adams (Anti-Federalist)
(w/ Fmr. Delegate of New York George Clinton) 1792 def. Fmr. Gov. of New York John Jay (Federalist); Gov. of Virginia Henry Lee III (Independent)
(w/ Vice Pres. George Clinton) 1796 def. Fmr. Gov of Virginia Patrick Henry (Federalist); US Minister to France Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican)
1801-1805: General Charles C. Pinckney (Federalist)
(w/ Sen. from New York Aaron Burr) 1800 def. Rep. from Virginia John Marshall (Federalist); Vice Pres. George Clinton (Anti-Federalist)
1805-1813: Sec. of State John Adams (Federalist)
(w/ Fmr. Gov. of New York John Jay) 1804 def. US Minister to France Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican); President Charles C. Pinckney (Federalist)
(w/ Vice Pres John Jay) 1808 def. Sen. From Virginia Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican); Fmr. Vice Pres. Aaron Burr (Democratic-Republican)
1813-1821: Sen. From Virginia Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican)
(w/ Gov. of Virginia James Monroe) 1812 def. Vice President John Jay (Federalist)
(w/ Vice Pres. James Monroe) 1816 def. Sen. From New York Rufus King (Federalist)
1821-1829: Speaker of the House of Reps. Henry Clay (Democratic-Republican)
(w/ Fmr. Sen. From Georgia William H. Crawford) 1820 def. Fmr. Sen. From Massachusetts John Quincy Adams (Federalist)
(w/ Rep. From Louisiana Edward Livingston) 1824 def. Chief Justice John Marshall (Federalist); Rep. from Massachusetts Daniel Webster (Whig)
1829-18??: Rep. from Massachusetts Daniel Webster (Whig)
(w/ Rep. From Ohio John McLean) 1828 def. Sec. of War John C. Calhoun (Nullifier); Sec. of State Martin Van Buren (Anti-Nullifier)
