Federalist Party

History

The Federalist Party was the first political party in the United States, formed for the purpose of ratifying the Constitution. The first two presidents (George Washingtond and John Adams) were members of the party, as well as Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Chief Justice John Marshall, as well as other influential early politicians. With the murder of their leader, Hamilton, in 1804, the party began to decline. It met its end in the rising sense of nationalism after the War of 1812, as most Federalists had opposed the war.

Platform

The Federalists advocated for a strong national government, with little to no power in the hands of the states. Their foreign policy was pro-British and anti-French, leading to conflict with the Francophile Democratic-Republicans.