Lesson 20: How Did Political Parties Develop?
Why did the Framers oppose political parties? (Video)
Dean of the University of Illinois College of Law Vikram David Amar discusses how the role of political parties in the Constitutional system. In this video, Dean Amar discusses why the framers opposed political parties.
The Alien and Sedition Acts (Video)
John Adams was elected president after George Washington's second term. Adams and the Federalist party was subjected to ferocious attacks by the opposition, the Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson. Adams and Federalists in Congress passed laws called the Alien and Sedition Acts. The Alien Act gave the president broad powers over aliens entering the country. The Sedition Act made it a crime for newspaper editors, writers, or speakers to criticize the government.
The American Presidential Election of 1800 (Video)
Why was the presidential election of 1800 important? The presidential election of 1800 was the first election that political parties backed candidates for president. The Federalists worked to re-elect John Adams. The Republicans supported Thomas Jefferson. Learn more about it here!
