Federalists vs. Republicans on the Issue of Freedom vs. Big Government

Thomas Jefferson

The Democratic-Republican Party...

• believed in small, local government.
• favored a narrow view on the meaning of the words in the Constitution (no wiggle room).
• held that the federal government should not be able to do whatever it wanted nor should it be able to do things just because of convenience.
• strongly felt that the federal government's powers should be limited to strictly what is laid out in the Constitution.
• Jefferson, who led the party, worried that if the government could define it's own powers it would threaten the liberty of the people.

Alexander Hamilton

The Federalist Party...

• believed in a strong federal government.
• favored a broad view of the Constitution (lots of wiggle room).
• held that the government should be able to do whatever is "necessary" to solve a problem.
• Hamilton, the leader of the party, felt that all national problems should be handled by the federal government.