Rise of Political Parties

Hamilton, a brilliant young lawyer, from New York who advocated a strong central government along with Thomas Jefferson, a tall Virginian, who longed for an opportunity to advance America’s democratic principles.  The two cabinet members under George Washington’s presidency were often in disputes.  Jefferson wanted a strict interpretation of the constitution, a government that is limited and shared its powers with the states and favored the wealthy while Hamilton wanted the opposite.  This atmosphere created a lot of tension that leaded to  disagreements on Hamilton’s Financial Program.  Hamilton became a Federalist and Jefferson became a Democratic Republican.