1. Elitism in America
The American colonists had fought a bitter war in order to achieve their independence from an oppressive British government. Therefore, the Articles of Confederation were drafted in order to ensure that a strong central government would not be a problem. Problems Under the Articles of Confederation...
Did the answer lie in their opposition with the agenda of Alexander Hamilton and the increases of power both to the executive branch as well as the legislative branch of government? Hamilton pushed for The Bank of the United States, a large standing Army raised by the President (Congress was to raise and support armies,) a Department of Navy, funding and excise taxes, and, in foreign policy, a neutrality that was sympathetic to British interest to the detriment of France. Many legislators, especially those in the south, were alarmed to the point that a separation of the Union was suggested as ...
Party competition first emerged, when James Madison and Thomas Jefferson sought to create a political opposition to Alexander Hamilton, John Adams and the Federalists. ... He feared that Hamilton's view of the Constitution and the unitary system that he advocated would destroy the delicate balance of powers that Madison's understanding of government had envisioned. ...