America Afire is the story of the most important election in American history in the election of 1800. Former Allies Jefferson and Adams, president and vice president. They were now Federalists and Republicans. They both competed to win the 4th presidential election according to the Constitution. The Federalists were one of the political parties led by Alexander Hamilton. Federalists wanted a strong central government. The Republicans were the other political parties under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson. Republicans wanted a states' rights party that could overturn federal laws if they conflicted with state law. The Federalists were populated by businessmen and bankers who lived in large cities. Republicans owned the rural population and believed that agriculture was the most productive way to have a strong economy by marketing their products to foreign countries. The Federalist believed in strong leadership and a loose constructionist interpretation of the Constitution. Republicans believed in a strongly constructionist interpretation of the Constitution, meaning that if an issue was not written directly into the Constitution, then the federal government had no authority to regulate the issue. One difference between the Federalists and the Republicans was how they went about it. deal with Britain and France. The Republicans wanted to build stronger ties with the French, they supported the government that took power in France after the Revolution. While the Federalist believed that American foreign policy should favor British interests. Republicans believed in protecting what was best for the working classes, such as merchants, farmers, and laborers. They believed that agricultural... middle of paper... urban growth and did not like or trust the common man, and Jefferson feared industrial and urban growth and idealized the common man. “Federalist leaders supported Britain's interest in foreign policy and business interests at home, while Republicans were rooted in freedom in France and worried about monarchical federalism at home. (Roark p.241). When the Federalists passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, the Republicans opposed them. They said they were “in conflict with the Bill of Rights, but lacked the votes to repeal it.” (Roark p.243) The most fundamental difference between Federalists and Republicans was the question of which direction Americans would take in the future. Towards a sort of elitist oligarchy controlled by the commercial and financial interests of the North. Or towards a more democratic form in which the ordinary man would play an important role.