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Jeffersonianism vs. Federalism While the United States of America tried out its brand new constitution, in lieu of rejecting the Articles of Confederation, two separate factions warred over the direction in which America would build its economy and shape its government. These two factions were the Federalists, chiefly lead by Alexander Hamilton, and the Jeffersonians, whose figurehead was Thomas Jefferson. Both political parties’ drive was in bettering the future of the new nation and, in essence, the parties were not very different from each other. However, several key topics would be held in question fervently enough to discern a clear separation of these two parties and an ensuing struggle for power and enactment of ideals would occur. The party in power at the start of this quest was the Federalists, whose members included the president of the time, George Washington. The Federalists were smaller in number than the Jeffersonians but were more often than not, the influential, politically aware members of early American society. Federalists were driven to base American economy both around agriculture and, unlike Jeffersonians, industry. Alexander Hamilton, who succeeded Washington in the presidency, was the mai