Founding Partisans

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From bestselling historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist H. W. Brands, this revelatory history explores the emergence of political division at the birth of the United States. It narrates the early years of the republic, highlighting how the Founding Fathers clashed over competing visions for the nation. To the framers of the Constitution, political parties posed an existential threat to republican virtues, as they had witnessed the consequences of partisan politics in Britain before the American Revolution. Despite their intentions, parties emerged even before the Constitution was ratified and took firmer root in the following decade. The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, sought to reform the Articles of Confederation, while Thomas Jefferson and the Antifederalists, the precursor to the Republicans, organized in opposition. As George Washington attempted to remain neutral, John Adams, the second president, actively engaged as a Federalist. The nation’s formative years were marked by contentious elections and constitutional violations, yet peaceful transfers of power persisted. This narrative serves as a powerful reminder that fierce partisanship is an enduring challenge, one that the republic has faced and overcome repeatedly.