U.S. History Essay

History 130-910: U.S. History to 1877

Summer Session I: June 4-July 7, 2018

HISTORICAL THINKING ESSAY #3: FEDERALISTS AND REPUBLICANS

This essay asks you to trace the historical origins and evolution of the two-party political system in the

United States. The U.S. Constitution does not specify political parties; in fact, in his Farewell Address,

President George Washington warned against political factions in the early republic. How did the two-

party system come into existence?

1) Read The American Yawp (Chapters 5-7) 2) Learn more about Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson and their distinct political

philosophies—Federalism and Republicanism, respectively.

3) Watch this clip and this clip from HBO’s John Adams. 4) Then, respond to this prompt:

The two-party political system of the United States was unintended. And yet, the ideological

and political differences that divided two very distinct camps between 1789-1800 were

unavoidable. How did the Federalist and Republican parties develop in the 1790s? In what

ways did the French Revolution, Whiskey Rebellion, 1796 election, XYZ Affair, and the

Alien and Sedition Acts polarize the two? Do you see any relationships between the current

Democratic and Republican parties and the nation’s earliest political parties?

To receive full credit for Historical Thinking Assignment #2, you must refer to at least two (2) of the

primary source documents in the Reader of The American Yawp.

Your essay should be approximately 750 words (3 pages),

double-spaced and is due on Saturday, June 23, by 11:55 PM.