Sarah Rinehart
Miss Keener
AP US History
November 2, 2015
The Shaping of American Politics Some would say that American politics began September third 1783 when the American Revolution ended, or that they began the fourth of July 1776 with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Regardless of the starting date, it can be unanimously decided that the Federalist party was a major political influence during the beginnings of the country, especially after the signing of the Constitution. Even though it was not the only major political party in the United States at the time, the Federalists greatly shaped American politics during their reign of power through dominating government powers, using their beliefs to strengthen the central government, …show more content…
As previously noted, the National Bank was created thanks to Alexander Hamilton, the founder of the federalist party. As one of the chief aides to George Washington he brought to life the belief that the central government needs more control, an idea John Adams quickly adopted. Adam’s passed the Alien and Sedition Acts which not only prevented mass immigration, but took away freedom of press and freedom of speech. Federalists did view a strong central government, and these acts did border the fine line of having too much power, however they were done under the belief of being a federalist idea which shows how the party shaped the politics of this time. After Washington and Adams, no more federalists became president, however they still were a major influence. During Thomas Jefferson’s presidency the case Marbury v Madison came up where Jefferson was attempting to impeach court officials for no legitimate reason. This actually led from some power being taken away from the executive branch of the federal government, however it gave more to the Supreme Court. This is not the only case that increases branches of the central government's power, however, and within the next few years multiple cases begin rising …show more content…
Because such a large amount of the Supreme Court were federalists, the outcome of Supreme Court cases showed federalist beliefs which greatly impact the political side of things by angering presidents and causing disturbances throughout the government. The first example is Martin v Hunter’s Lease where Hunter is given land that Hunter already had jurisdiction in. This was resolved in state court but appealed and brought to the Supreme Court where the ruling was made that the federal court had power over the state in similar matters. This clearly illustrates the federalist belief that the central government deserves more power. The next example is Dartmouth College v Woodward in which Dartmouth College wished to remain a private university while New Hampshire wanted it to become a state college. The Supreme Court ruled the college was protected under the Charter Clause, once again going against the states rulings and showing its superiority. The next and perhaps most important example is McCulloch v Maryland in which the Supreme Court decides it has given powers in addition to the powers in the constitution and once again gained more power than the state. This also led to the Supremacy Clause further pushing the point that the Supreme Court is more powerful. Overall these Supreme Court cases show the federalist power pushing and shaping the political