1. Why did political parties form in the U.S.?

2. Disagreements between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson over interpreting the U.S. Constitution led to political parties forming in the U.S.
Alexander Hamilton
Thomas Jefferson

3. Hamilton believed the Constitution could be loosely interpreted.
Secretary of the Treasury

4. Jefferson believed the Constitution should be strictly interpreted.
Secretary of State

5. In the 1790s, Hamilton devised a financial plan to pay off the U. S
In the 1790s, Hamilton devised a financial plan to pay off the U.S.’s debts, which included the creation of a national bank.
Revolutionary War
First National Bank;
Philadelphia, PA

6. Jefferson opposed Hamilton’s plan to create a national bank because it would depend on a loose interpretation of the Constitution.

7. As a result of this disagreement, the first political parties (the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans) formed.
Democratic-
Republican
Party,
led by Thomas
Jefferson and
James Madison 
Federalist Party,
led by Alexander
Hamilton and
John Adams 
VS.

8. Democratic and Republican National Conventions of 2016
The formation of political parties is another example of the unwritten constitution.
Democratic and Republican National Conventions of 2016