The federal government had no Constitutional right to create the national bank, but Constitution did give them the power to coin money. Therefore, the power to create a national bank could be implied.
The Jeffersonian Republicans were a weak political party before Jefferson and Madison's presidencies. They believed in having a modest central government and didn't want an urban or highly commercial society. They wanted most powers to be in the hands of the state governments. They were not in favor of a national government. According to Jefferson, the country was "too large to have all its affairs directed by a single government" (Doc A). Under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, they opposed the views of the Federalists. They were against the creation of a national bank. Although Hamilton of the Federalist Party argued that the power to create the national bank was implied in the Constitution, the Republicans argued that the power was not explicitly written in the Constitution and therefore had no right to create the bank. Unfortunately for the Republicans, the charter to create the bank was passed by Congress and then signed by George Washington. They believed the charter to be in the best interest and benefit of the country. .
From this opposition between the Federalists and Republicans, their views are clearly expressed. The Federalists implied the power to create the national bank. Therefore, they were broad constructionists because they did this even though the Constitution does not explicitly say they have the power to do so. The Republicans declared the charter for a national bank unconstitutional. They believed the government did not have to power to pass this charter. Therefore, they were strict constructionists because they had a strict interpretation of the Constitution. The characterization of broad constructionist Federalists and strict constructionist Republicans was very accurate before the nineteenth century.
