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Federalist Party
John Adams is elected president for the Federalist Party who believed that the new central government, and the well-educated, wealthy classes, should be given the greatest power of government. The Federalist Papers explained the Constitution to the American people and promoted the concept of Federalism -
Anti-Federalist Party
Adams and the Federalist party were opposed by the Anti-Federalist Party who believed that the vast majority of ordinary, less educated people, had the skills and common sense required to run the government. -
Democratic Republican Party
Thomas Jefferson, leader of the Democratic-Republican Party, was elected the third president of the United States. The Democratic-Republican Party adhered to the Constitution in order to limit the powers of the federal government and was strongly opposed to aristocracy, monarchy, corruption and elitism -
Republican Party
The Democratic-Republican party split into several factions, taking the names of their party leaders: the Adams men (supporting John Quincy Adams), the Clay men (supporting Henry Clay). The Adams and Clay factions began to act together and to call themselves National Republicans, because they wished to build up the nation's resources, specifically National Defense, following the War of 1812. Refer to the National Republican Party -
Fall of Whig Party
The Whig Party came into power again with the election of Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore. The policies of Fillmore led to division in the Whig party. The anti-slavery faction of the Whigs, including members of the "Barnburners" anti-slavery faction and the Free-Soilers successfully prevented the re-nomination of Fillmore and destroyed the Whig Party in 1853.