Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815

Chapter 4

Opposition to the Federalists developed slowly but the Federalist program and Hamilton were the catalyst.

Madison was at first an ally of Hamilton collaborating on much of The Federalist together and supporting a stronger central government during the Confederation era but became one of Hamilton’s and the Federalist’s biggest critics.

Debate over assumption of the states’ debt only ended when Federalists agreed with a compromise for the federal capital to be on the Potomac.

Opposition to the Federalists started with those who sought to preserve agricultural interests of the South against the commercial interests of the North.

Jefferson became the leading figure of this opposition which got much inspiration from radical English Whig theory/history.

The Democratic-Republican or Republican Party that came to be found support with the Southern gentry and the yeoman farmers of the South who felt their way of life means of success (slavery) as threatened by the Federalists.

It is paradoxical that the Republican leaders (Jefferson, Madison) were the most fervent supporters of democratic politics when they were the furthest removed from it as their position in society was never threatened or questioned by lower classes in their states because those classes felt it necessary to support the Southern gentry due to both groups benefitting from slavery.

Republicans also found support in the North mostly from minority groups like Baptists and the middling sort that r the growing class of artisans and entrepreneurs.

Hamilton largely ignored the entrepreneurial class as he could not foresee how politically important they would grow to be with a major sticking point being the tariffs implemented were not protective but rather issued for the purposes of revenue which entrepreneurs in industries facing competition from abroad resented.

While the Republicans found support in the North they did not fully understand how much the interests of those Republicans differed from those in the South.