<P> The Federalist Party, referred to as the Pro-Administration Party until the 3rd United States Congress, was the first American political party . It existed from the early 1790s to 1816, though its remnants lasted into the 1820s . </P> <P> The Federalists called for a strong national government that promoted economic growth and fostered friendly relationships with Great Britain as well as opposition to revolutionary France . The party controlled the federal government until 1801, when it was overwhelmed by the Democratic - Republican opposition led by Thomas Jefferson . The Federalist Party came into being between 1792 and 1794 as a national coalition of bankers and businessmen in support of Alexander Hamilton's fiscal policies . These supporters developed into the organized Federalist Party, which was committed to a fiscally sound and nationalistic government . The only Federalist President was John Adams since although George Washington was broadly sympathetic to the Federalist program, he remained officially non-partisan during his entire presidency . </P> <P> Federalist policies called for a national bank, tariffs and good relations with Great Britain as expressed in the Jay Treaty negotiated in 1794 . Hamilton developed the concept of implied powers and successfully argued the adoption of that interpretation of the United States Constitution . Their political opponents, the Democratic - Republicans led by Thomas Jefferson, denounced most of the Federalist policies, especially the bank and implied powers; and vehemently attacked the Jay Treaty as a sell - out of republican values to the British monarchy . The Jay Treaty passed and the Federalists won most of the major legislative battles in the 1790s . They held a strong base in the nation's cities and in New England . After the Democratic - Republicans, whose base was in the rural South, won the hard - fought presidential election of 1800, the Federalists never returned to power . They recovered some strength by their intense opposition to the War of 1812, but they practically vanished during the Era of Good Feelings that followed the end of the war in 1815 . </P> <P> The Federalists left a lasting legacy in the form of a strong Federal government with a sound financial base and after losing executive power they decisively shaped Supreme Court policy for another three decades through the person of Chief Justice John Marshall . </P>

Where did the federalists have the most support