After the Constitution was written and adopted, two political parties emerged. Alexander Hamilton, co-author of the Constitution, penned the first United State's financial plan, which gained opposition from his colleague- Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson created his own political party called the Democrat-Republicans. Alexander Hamilton was the front runner of the second political party, the Federalists. The Republicans were characterized as being strict constructionists and advocating states' right. The Federalists were seen as an endorser of a strong federal government, much like Britain, and followers of loose constructionism. The Federalist and Republican policies from 1801 to 1807 were not always true to the strict constructionist and broad constructionist stances they asserted. .
Although the Republicans and Federalists took similar stances on the Constitution, they sometimes held true to their party's advocated positions. The Federalists attempted to introduce many new court judges in a last ditch effort to occupy a branch of the government. These new judges were called "Midnight Judges". Judge Marshall was the head of the Supreme Court and a member of the Federalist party. Judge Marshall and the Federalists attacked the preservation of states' rights and advocated all affairs be directed by a single government (Document A). The Federalists also pro-Britain, while Republicans were pro- France. This is why the Federalists were opposed to any suggestions of war with Britain, even after the Chesapeake affair, which resulted in solidiers shot at close range unfairly. In fact, Republicans also believed that religious discipline and policies not specifically mentioned in the Constitution should be allocated to the states. Jefferson believed that the federal government had no control over religious beliefs because they were not specifically mentioned in any doctrine, therefore; the government has no right to meddle in their affairs (Document B).
