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[[image:alexhamilton.jpg|thumb|The Federalist Party was founded by Treasury Secretary [[Alexander Hamilton]] in 1791. After he was killed in 1804, the party drifted.]]

[[image:alexhamilton.jpg|thumb|The Federalist Party was founded by Treasury Secretary [[Alexander Hamilton]] in 1791. After he was killed in 1804, the party drifted.]]

The '''Federalist Party''' was a U.S. political party founded in 1791 by Treasury Secretary [[Alexander Hamilton]]. It rallied support for the administrations of [[George Washington]] and [[John Adams]], and it promoted various policies designed to strengthen the national government. It was the world's first political party. Notable spokesmen included [[John Jay]] and author [[Noah Webster]]. Washington was never a member, but he did endorse most of its policies. The Federalists were opposed by the [[Republicans (Jeffersonian)|Republicans]], a rival party led by [[Thomas Jefferson]] and [[James Madison]]. The Federalists elected Adams president in 1796. In 1799, the party was at the peak of its power. It controlled all branches of government, including Congress, the presidency, and the courts. But Adams was defeated by Jefferson in the "Revolution of 1800." Although the margin of defeat was small, the Federalists never recovered. In 1804, Hamilton was killed in a duel. Without outstanding leaders, the party was an antiquated, backward-looking organization. All the same, the Federalist were never in fact the "elitist" party that their critics accused them of being. Even the party's last presidential candidate, Rufus King, nominated in 1816, received an estimated 31 percent of the popular vote.

The '''Federalist Party''' was a U.S. political party founded in 1791 by Treasury Secretary [[Alexander Hamilton]]. It rallied support for the administrations of [[George Washington]] and [[John Adams]], and it promoted various policies designed to strengthen the national government. It was the world's first political party. Notable spokesmen included [[John Jay]] and author [[Noah Webster]]. Washington was never a member, but he did endorse most of its policies. The Federalists were opposed by the [[Republicans (Jeffersonian)|Republicans]], a rival party led by [[Thomas Jefferson]] and [[James Madison]]. The Federalists elected Adams president in 1796. In 1799, the party was at the peak of its power. It controlled all branches of government, including Congress, the presidency, and the courts. But Adams was defeated by Jefferson in the "Revolution of 1800." Although the margin of defeat was small, the Federalists never recovered. In 1804, Hamilton was killed in a duel. Without outstanding leaders, the party was an antiquated, backward-looking organization. All the same, the Federalist were never the "elitist" party that their critics accused them of being. The voting strength of the party ranged from 48 percent for DeWitt Clinton in 1812 to 27 percent for Charles C. Pinckney in 1804. So it had support far beyond the "gentleman class," which was only 5 to 10 percent of the population.<ref>Gordon S. Wood, ''[https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=AWI8fmyhN5IC&dq= Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815]'', p. 22.</ref>

==History==

==History==