Federalist Party
... The first twelve years of America’s organized government, 1789-1801 were heavily influenced by the Federalist Party. The Federalist Party was one of the first political organizations in the United States. Although the first president, George Washington, was not a federalist, his Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, was the developer and leader of the Federalist Party. The members of this party supported a strong central government, a large peacetime army and navy, and a stable financial system. ... While the Federalist views saved America from another war, almost certainly a losing effort, it was Washington who combined the two views and kept America out of the fray all together. ... This would be the downfall of the party. ... The Federalists had become more favorable towards France, while the opposing party, the Republicans despised the French. ... The party numbers continued to diminish until the party was eliminated from the political picture in 1816. ... The most important Federalist figure after 1801 was John Marshall. ... He was a steadfast Federalist. He maintained Federalist ideals long after the party seized to exist in the national picture. ... Another way the Federalist ideals were maintained comes from their opponents.