The American Journey to World War I

Chapter 5: The Federalist Era

Student Web Activity

"First Political Parties"

Introduction
In this chapter you read about the early years of the United States. Although President George Washington warned of the dangers of political parties in his Farewell Address, many Americans had already chosen sides. In this activity you will review the histories of the first two American political parties—the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.

Destination Title: Politics and Political Campaigns

Note: Clicking on the link above will launch a new browser window.
Need help using your browser for this activity? Click here for tips.

Directions
Start at the Politics and Political Campaigns Web site.

  • Click on Political Parties in the menu on the left of the screen.
  • In the list of parties that appears, click on and read about the Federalist Party.
  • Click the "Back" button to return to the list of political parties.
  • Then click on and read about the Democratic-Republican Party.

Use the information from the Web site to answer the following questions.

1
When and why did the Federalist Party form?
2
Name four influential Federalists.
3
Summarize the major beliefs of the Democratic-Republican Party.
4
Name four influential Democratic-Republicans.
5
Imagine that you are a member of either the Federalist or Democratic-Republican Party. Create a one-page flyer that could have been distributed to influence people to join your party. Detail your party's major beliefs and important members. Remember that the flyer should be designed to influence people—why should they join your party instead of the opposing party? Conduct additional research if necessary.
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