Why were the political parties formed?
The main purpose of a political party is to get its members elected to office. Parties are made up of people who have the same general idea and goals about governing. Once in power, the purpose of the Party is to accomplish its goals for the city, state, or nation. While not in power, the Party acts as the “loyal opposition” until it can elect a majority of its members to power. The Founding Fathers disliked political parties, calling them “factions” motivated by self interest. Washington was so upset over the quarreling between Hamilton (Federalists) and Jefferson (anti-Federalists) that he devoted much of his Farewell Address to the evils of parties. The people who supported Hamilton and Adams were called Federalists (supporters of the Constitution) but they were not an organized political party. The first organized party in America was made up of the followers of Jefferson, who, starting in the 1790s, called themselves Republicans (or Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans). Hamilton a
