Editing Democratic-Republican Party (section)

===Founding, 1789–1796===
{{further|Presidency of George Washington|Anti-Administration party|First Party System}}
{{multiple image|align=right|total_width=300|image1=Official Presidential portrait of Thomas Jefferson (by Rembrandt Peale, 1800).jpg|image2=James Madison.jpg|caption1=[[Thomas Jefferson]], 3rd president of the United States (1801–1809)|caption2=[[James Madison]], 4th president of the United States (1809–1817)}}
In the [[1788–89 United States presidential election|1788–89 presidential election]], the first such election following the ratification of the [[United States Constitution]] in 1788, [[George Washington]] won the votes of every member of the [[United States Electoral College|Electoral College]].<ref name="GWelections">{{cite web |url=https://millercenter.org/president/washington/campaigns-and-elections |title=George Washington: Campaigns and Elections |last=Knott |first=Stephen |date=October 4, 2016 |publisher=Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia |location=Charlottesville, Virginia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728033729/https://millercenter.org/president/washington/campaigns-and-elections |archive-date=July 28, 2017 |access-date=July 14, 2017}}</ref> His unanimous victory in part reflected the fact that no formal [[political parties]] had formed at the national level in the [[United States]] prior to 1789, though the country had been broadly polarized between the [[Federalism in the United States#Early federalism|Federalists]], who supported ratification of the Constitution, and the [[Anti-Federalism|Anti-Federalists]], who opposed ratification.{{sfnp|Reichley|2000|pp=25, 29}} Washington selected [[Thomas Jefferson]] as [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] and [[Alexander Hamilton]] as [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury]],<ref>{{harvp|Ferling|2009}}, pp. 282–284</ref> and he relied on [[James Madison]] as a key adviser and ally in Congress.<ref>{{harvp|Ferling|2009}}, pp. 292–293</ref>

Hamilton implemented an expansive economic program, establishing the [[First Bank of the United States]],<ref>{{harvp|Ferling|2009}}, pp. 293–298</ref> and convincing Congress to [[Funding Act of 1790|assume the debts]] of state governments.<ref>{{harvp|Bordewich|2016}}, pp. 244–252</ref> Hamilton pursued his programs in the belief that they would foster a prosperous and stable country.{{sfnp|Wilentz|2005|pp=44–45}} His policies engendered an opposition, chiefly concentrated in the [[Southern United States]], that objected to Hamilton's [[Anglophilia]] and accused him of unduly favoring well-connected wealthy Northern merchants and speculators. Madison emerged as the leader of the congressional opposition while Jefferson, who declined to publicly criticize Hamilton while both served in Washington's Cabinet, worked behind the scenes to stymie Hamilton's programs.{{sfnp|Wilentz|2005|pp=45–48}} Jefferson and Madison established the ''[[National Gazette]]'', a newspaper which recast national politics not as a battle between Federalists and Anti-Federalists, but as a debate between aristocrats and republicans.<ref>{{harvp|Wood|2009}}, pp. 150–151</ref> In the [[1792 United States presidential election|1792 election]], Washington effectively ran unopposed for president, but Jefferson and Madison backed New York Governor [[George Clinton (New York)|George Clinton]]'s unsuccessful attempt to unseat Vice President [[John Adams]].{{sfnp|Thompson|1980|pp=174–175}}

Political leaders on both sides were reluctant to label their respective faction as a political party, but distinct and consistent voting blocs emerged in Congress by the end of 1793. Jefferson's followers became known as the Republicans (or sometimes as the Democratic-Republicans)<ref name="drname"/> and Hamilton's followers became the [[Federalist Party|Federalists]].<ref>{{harvp|Wood|2009}}, pp. 161–162</ref> While economic policies were the original motivating factor in the growing partisan split, foreign policy became even more important as war broke out between [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] (favored by Federalists) and [[First French Republic|France]], which Republicans favored until 1799.<ref name="auto1">{{harvp|Ferling|2009}}, pp. 299–302, 309–311</ref> Partisan tensions escalated as a result of the [[Whiskey Rebellion]] and Washington's subsequent denunciation of the [[Democratic-Republican Societies]], a type of new local political societies that favored democracy and generally supported the Jeffersonian position.{{sfnp|Wilentz|2005|pp=60, 64–65}} Historians use the term "Democratic-Republican" to describe these new organizations, but that name was rarely used at the time. They usually called themselves "Democratic", "Republican", "True Republican", "Constitutional", "United Freeman", "Patriotic", "Political", "Franklin", or "Madisonian".<ref>Foner found only two that used the actual term "Democratic-Republican", including the "Democratic-Republican Society of Dumfries", Virginia, 1794. Philip S. Foner, ''The Democratic-Republican Societies, 1790-1800: A Documentary Source-book of Constitutions, Declarations, Addresses, Resolutions, and Toasts'' (1977) pp 350, 370.</ref> The ratification of the [[Jay Treaty]] with Britain further inflamed partisan warfare, resulting in a hardening of the divisions between the Federalists and the Republicans.<ref name="Ferling300s">{{harvp|Ferling|2009}}, pp. 323–328, 338–344</ref>

By 1795–96, election campaigns—federal, state and local—were waged primarily along partisan lines between the two national parties, although local issues continued to affect elections, and party affiliations remained in flux.<ref>{{harvp|Ferling|2003}}, pp. 397–400</ref> As Washington declined to seek a third term, the [[1796 United States presidential election|1796 presidential election]] became the first contested president election. Having retired from Washington's Cabinet in 1793, Jefferson had left the leadership of the Democratic-Republicans in Madison's hands. Nonetheless, the Democratic-Republican [[congressional nominating caucus]] chose Jefferson as the party's presidential nominee, in the belief that he would be the party's strongest candidate; the caucus chose Senator [[Aaron Burr]] of New York as Jefferson's running mate.{{sfnp|Wilentz|2005|pp=72–73, 86}} Meanwhile, an informal caucus of Federalist leaders nominated a ticket of John Adams and [[Thomas Pinckney]].<ref name="mcdonald178181" /> Though the candidates themselves largely stayed out of the fray, supporters of the candidates waged an active campaign; Federalists attacked Jefferson as a [[Francophile]] and [[atheist]], while the Democratic-Republicans accused Adams of being an anglophile and a [[Monarchism|monarchist]].<ref name="JAelections">{{cite web |url=https://millercenter.org/president/adams/campaigns-and-elections |title=John Adams: Campaigns and Elections |last=Taylor |first=C. James |date=October 4, 2016 |publisher=Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia |location=Charlottesville, Virginia |access-date=August 3, 2017}}</ref> Ultimately, Adams won the presidency by a narrow margin, garnering 71 electoral votes to 68 for Jefferson, who became the vice president.<ref name="mcdonald178181">{{harvp|McDonald|1974}}, pp. 178–181</ref>{{efn-la|name=12thA|Prior to the ratification of the [[Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Twelfth Amendment]] in 1804, each member of the Electoral College cast two votes, with no distinction made between electoral votes for president and electoral votes for [[Vice President of the United States|vice president]]. Under these rules, an individual who received more votes than any other candidate, and received votes from a majority of the electors, was elected as president. If neither of those conditions were met, the House of Representatives would select the president through a contingent election in which each state delegation received one vote. After the selection of the president, the individual who finished with the most votes was elected as vice president, with the Senate holding a contingent election in the case of a tie.<ref>{{Citation |last=Neale |first=Thomas H. |title=Contingent Election of the President and Vice President by Congress: Perspectives and Contemporary Analysis |date=3 November 2016 |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40504.pdf |publisher=Congressional Research Service}}</ref>}}