U.S. History I A Political Parties Transcript
Section 10 00:00:01 Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic Republicans believed the United States should be a world power and play role in European affairs. They wanted to ally with France in a war against Britain because they believed France was fighting for democracy. They supported states' rights and wanted a much smaller and less powerful federal government. 00:00:21 They opposed the national bank and wanted to move more power from urban bankers and merchants who rural farmers.
Section 12 00:00:01 The two new political parties were very hostile towards each other. Wealthier merchants, bankers, and landowners tended to favor the Federalists. Farmers, minority ethnic groups, and ordinary citizens tended to favor the Democratic-Republicans. Only the respect that George Washington commanded kept the parties from launching full-scale 00:00:21 attacks on each other. "Aristocrats endeavoring to lay the foundations of monarchical government, and Republicans were the real supporters of independence, friends to equal rights, and warm advocates of free elective government." This quote is from a Democratic-Republican newspaper discussing the federal way.
Section 13 00:00:01 The United States struggled to maintain its neutrality during the war between Britain and France, and this led to political division during Washington's presidency. You've just learned that these divisions in American politics led to the first US political parties-- the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. In this section you'll learn how the 1791 Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania challenged the Federalists and Washington's 00:00:26 administration.
Section 14 00:00:01 Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton felt the US government needed a source of revenue to pay off its debt. At his urging, Congress passed a tax on whiskey in 1791. Pennsylvania farmers who profited from the sale of whiskey opposed the tax. Many Americans saw the taxation by the federal government as a form of tyranny. Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans were 00:00:28 opposed to the tax the issue of the whiskey tax fueled new support for this political party. They hoped their stance would help them gain followers who agreed with them. Jefferson felt the States should have greater authority than the federal government. The tax was an example of a national government overstepping its bounds. 00:00:47 When he was elected the third president of the United States, Jefferson repealed the whiskey tax.
Section 16 00:00:01 Farmers in Pennsylvania rebelled against the tax. They believe the tax was unfair because it focused on rural people. Many farmers needed to sell whiskey to make a good living. Whisky-producing farmers threatened the local tax collectors. 500 militiamen attacked the home of a tax inspector. Washington went to Pennsylvania with a force of 00:00:24 13,000 militia troops to put down the rebellion. The rebellion collapsed. Two men were convicted of treason and later pardoned. The federal government proved it could keep order, but still some leaders, including Thomas Jefferson, felt the use of military force was a mistake.
Section 18 00:00:02 Alexander Hamilton was happy with how the Whiskey Rebellion had turned out. Hamilton had advocated for the use of military force to put down the tax resistance. He felt it was important that national laws be enforced at any cost. Thomas Jefferson, on the other had, was not pleased with the way the Whiskey Rebellion was handled. 00:00:20 He thought that the federal government had gone too far and that public opinion would turn against it. He felt these actions had proved that Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists were on the verge of tyranny. Yet again, the two sides split on an issue.
Section 1 00:00:01 What issues divided Washington's administration and created political parties? George Washington, the first US president welcomed political debate, but discouraged political parties. Thomas Jefferson, Washington's Secretary of State who respected Washington but had very different opinions than the President on many issues. These opposing viewpoints led to the creation of America's 00:00:24 first political parties. Some of the divisions in Washington's administration included the French Revolution, new political parties, and challenges for domestic policies. In this segment you will learn the arguments over what America's foreign policy should be during the French Revolution, and how that laid the foundation for the rise of political parties in America.
Section 2 00:00:01 So why are we talking about the French Revolution, and how does that connect to political parties? What you're going to see is the French Revolution and other issues caused some disagreements between groups in America. And that's where parties came from. The two parties began as small groups of leaders who agreed with each other. 00:00:19 You already know that the Federalists supported Hamilton's views. You know that the Democratic-Republicans supported Jefferson's views. What you'll see is that each party grew stronger as their disagreements grew. The parties stood against each other and rallied supporters. One of the first issues that caused these major 00:00:37 disagreements was the French Revolution. The French Revolution broke out in 1789. Like the American Revolution, it was a challenge to the absolute power of the king and the privilege of the aristocrats. Unlike the American Revolution, it became kind of a civil war known as the Reign of Terror, with the revolutionaries forming their own absolute government and 00:00:59 crushing all opposition. In 1789, the revolution began. In 1792, war was declared on Prussia and Austria. In 1793, King Louis XVI was executed, the Reign of Terror began, and Great Britain declared war on France. In 1795, Napoleon rises to power. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had different opinions on the French Revolution. 00:01:27 George Washington and the Federalists thought the French Revolution had turned into anarchy. Anarchy is chaos, pointlessness. Remember, Washington usually supported Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists. They also supported Great Britain when they declared war on France. That was Great Britain declaring war on France. 00:01:47 They thought a British victory would restore order to Europe by removing France's revolutionary government. Thomas Jefferson and the new Democratic-Republicans supported the revolution in France. They thought the violence was a temporary mistake by France, and France would be able to correct this. They saw France as part of a worldwide effort which was begun by the United States to create democratic governments. 00:02:13 They wanted to help France militarily with its war in Britain as part of repaying France for them helping the United States with its war against Britain.
Section 4 00:00:01 After the French Revolution, France and Great Britain continually fell into conflict with each other. War in Europe between Napoleon's France and Great Britain impacted the young United States despite George Washington declaration of US neutrality. Both France and Britain pressured the United States to stop trading with the other nation. Many Americans did not want to be neutral, and insisted that 00:00:23 Washington make an alliance with either Britain or France. Washington sent Supreme Court Justice John Jay to Great Britain to negotiate the Jay Treaty in 1794. It gave the United States trade rights for Britain in return for Britain withdrawing from US territory and settling its dispute over the US-Canadian border. The Jay treating caused more division by angering pro-French Americans, including Thomas Jefferson
Section 6 00:00:01 Today the United States is strongly allied with both France and Great Britain. The strong alliance grew out fighting on the same side is World Wars I and II. It also strengthened during the Cold War years, when the United States helped European nations resist the spread of communism. This is US President Barack Obama and French President 00:00:22 Nicholas Sarkozy in 2009
Section 7 00:00:01 As you have seen, the French Revolution and the war between Britain and France began to divide Americans during George Washington's presidency. You've just learned how to political factions in the young United States view the events in Europe during and after the French Revolution. Now you will learn how these divisions led the development of political parties in the United States.
Section 8 00:00:01 George Washington and the Federalists had clear ideas and goals. They believed United States should have a conservative foreign policy. They believed the United States should not take sides in any foreign wars and that it should not make permanent alliances with any nation. They supported a strong federal government that had 00:00:21 the power to unify and control the states. They also supported a strong national bank, created by Alexander Hamilton, as a way to stabilize the economy.
Section 20 00:00:01 This division kept growing, and George Washington sure noticed. Washington gave a now-famous speech in 1796 at the end of his second and final term in office as President of the United States. He warned against becoming entangled in foreign affairs by entering into alliances. He warned against phony patriotism. 00:00:21 Most of all, he strongly argued against the formation of political parties. Now, looking at Washington's quote here, you can see that faction means party, and despotism is a dictatorship. To Washington, if parties were to dominate each other and are vengeful, it's like making people live under a dictatorship. You'll learn more about these issues as you continue to 00:00:43 study US history. Today, political parties are very powerful in the United States. It is difficult for a person to become elected to office at any level without being a member of one of the two major political parties, the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. Gridlock, or a lack of movement, happens when the two 00:01:05 major parties fight and won't compromise on these issues. Do you think George Washington was right in not supporting a specific political party?
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