Though he had sided with Hamilton in their defense of the Constitution, Madison strongly opposed Hamilton’s ambitious financial programs, which he saw as concentrating too much power in the hands of the federal government. His supporters tended to be small farmers, artisans and Southern planters who traded with the French, and were sympathetic to France. Jefferson, on the other hand, favored limited federal government and keeping power in state and local hands. Supporters of Hamilton’s vision of a strong central government-many of whom were Northern businessmen, bankers and merchants who leaned toward England when it came to foreign affairs-would become known as the Federalists. With Jefferson as secretary of state and Hamilton as Treasury secretary, two competing visions for America developed into the nation’s first two political parties. George Washington (seated right) in consultation with Thomas Jefferson (seated left) and Alexander Hamilton.
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