<P> The United States Constitution is silent on the subject of political parties . The Founding Fathers did not originally intend for American politics to be partisan . In Federalist Papers No. 9 and No. 10, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, respectively, wrote specifically about the dangers of domestic political factions . In addition, the first President of the United States, George Washington, was not a member of any political party at the time of his election or throughout his tenure as president . Furthermore, he hoped that political parties would not be formed, fearing conflict and stagnation, as outlined in his Farewell Address . </P> <P> Nevertheless, the beginnings of the American two - party system emerged from his immediate circle of advisers . Hamilton and Madison, who wrote the aforementioned Federalist Papers against political factions, ended up being the core leaders in this emerging party system . It was the split camps of Federalists, given rise with Hamilton as a leader, and Democratic - Republicans, with Madison and Thomas Jefferson at the helm of this political faction, that created the environment in which partisanship, once distasteful, came to being . </P> <P> The First Party System of the United States featured the Federalist Party and the Democratic - Republican Party (also called "Democratic - Republican" or "Jeffersonian Republican"). The Federalist Party grew from the national network of Washington's Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, who favored a strong united central government, close ties to Britain, a centralized banking system, and close links between the government and men of wealth . </P> <P> The Democratic - Republican Party was founded by Madison and Thomas Jefferson, who strongly opposed Hamilton's agenda . The Jeffersonians came to power in 1800 and the Federalists were too elitist to compete effectively . They survived in the Northeast, but their refusal to support the War of 1812 verged on secession and was a devastating blow when the war ended well . The Era of Good Feelings under President James Monroe (1816--1824) marked the end of the First Party System and a brief period in which partisanship was minimal . </P>

Evolution of the political parties in the united states