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The Federalist Party was one of the first [[political parties]] in the [[United States]], formed for the purpose of ratifying the [[Constitution]]. [[John Adams]] was the only Federalist to serve as president, although [[George Washington]] had Federalist leanings. [[Alexander Hamilton]], [[Secretary of the Treasury]] for Washington, was for all practical purposes the leader of the party. [[Chief Justice]] [[John Marshall]] was the last Federalist in the federal government, serving until his death in 1835. The party met with several setbacks in the early nineteenth century that led to its demise. Hamilton, their leader, died in 1804 as a result of his famous duel with [[Aaron Burr]]. The party drew most of its support from New England, a region that largely opposed the [[War of 1812]], with many . Many of it the Federalist party leaders labeling the conflict “Mr. Madison’s War.” The Federalists were among the interests that called the [[Hartford Convention]] in 1814 for the purpose of amending the Constitution, and carried with it the implied threat of succession. However, the convention dissolved with news of the [[Treaty of Ghent]] and [[Andrew Jackson]]’s victory at the [[Battle of New Orleans]]. The fortunes of the party declined after the war of 1812. Opponents could easily use the charge of treason, and no Federalist ever won national office again.

The Federalists advocated a strong national government, with little or 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. In terms of economics, they subscribed to the Hamiltonian notion that the United States must become manufactering nation engage in manufacturing and commerce in order to become a great power.

George Brown Tindall & David Shi, ''America: A Narrative History,'' 7th ed. (New York: NortnNorton, 2007)