Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans: Political Beliefs and Party Development (copy)

Read the prompt and evidence options carefully. Your task is to explain how your chosen evidence supports the claim about the differing political beliefs of the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans, and how these differences influenced the development of political parties in the United States.

Claim:

The Federalists believed in a strong national government, while the Democratic-Republicans believed power should remain with the states.

Evidence Options (Choose ONE):

A. Alexander Hamilton supported the creation of a national bank to strengthen federal power.

B. Thomas Jefferson argued that too much federal power could threaten individual and state rights.

C. Federalists believed in supporting manufacturing, trade, and industry to build a strong economy.

D. Democratic-Republicans supported farmers and small agricultural communities as the foundation of the nation.

Your Task: Write the Reasoning

Explain HOW the evidence you chose supports the claim. Your reasoning must connect the evidence to the idea that the two groups had different beliefs about where power should be in the U.S. government.

Sentence Starters (optional):

• This evidence supports the claim because…
• This shows that the Federalists/Democratic-Republicans believed…
• This connects to the claim by demonstrating that…

Describe one major political belief of the Federalists AND one major political belief of the Democratic-Republicans during the Early Republic. Then explain how these differences affected the development of political parties in the United States. Choose ONE evidence option (A, B, C, or D) and write reasoning that explains how your chosen evidence supports the claim. Your reasoning must connect the evidence to the idea that the two groups had different beliefs about where power should be in the U.S. government.