\u00a0A grand debate over political power engulfed the young United States. The Constitution ensured that there would be a strong federal government capable of taxing, waging war, and making law, but it could never resolve the young nation\u2019s many conflicting constituencies.\u00a0The Whiskey Rebellion proved that the nation could stifle\u00a0internal dissent but exposed a new threat to liberty. Hamilton\u2019s banking system provided the nation with credit but also constrained frontier farmers. The Constitution\u2019s guarantee of religious liberty conflicted with many\u00a0popular prerogatives. Dissension only deepened, and as the 1790s progressed, Americans became bitterly divided over political parties and foreign wars.<\/p>\r\nDuring the ratification debates, Alexander Hamilton had written of\u00a0the wonders of the Constitution. \u201cA nation, without a national government,\u201d he wrote, would be \u201can awful spectacle.\u201d But, he added, \u201cthe establishment of a Constitution, in time of profound peace, by the voluntary consent of a whole people, is a prodigy,\u201d a miracle that should be witnessed \u201cwith trembling anxiety.\u201d\u00a0Anti-Federalists had grave concerns about the Constitution, but even\u00a0they could celebrate the idea of national unity. By 1795, even the staunchest critics would have grudgingly agreed with Hamilton\u2019s convictions about the Constitution. Yet these same individuals could also take the cautions in Washington\u2019s\u00a01796 farewell address to heart.\u00a0\u201cThere is an opinion,\u201d Washington wrote, \u201cthat parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty.\u201d This, he conceded, was probably true, but in a republic, he said, the danger was not too little partisanship, but too much. \u201cA fire not to be quenched,\u201d Washington warned, \u201cit demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor every parade, thanksgiving proclamation, or grand procession honoring the unity of the nation, there was also some political controversy reminding American citizens of how fragile their union was. And as party differences and regional quarrels tested the federal government, the new nation increasingly explored the limits of its\u00a0democracy.","rendered":"
\u00a0A grand debate over political power engulfed the young United States. The Constitution ensured that there would be a strong federal government capable of taxing, waging war, and making law, but it could never resolve the young nation\u2019s many conflicting constituencies.\u00a0The Whiskey Rebellion proved that the nation could stifle\u00a0internal dissent but exposed a new threat to liberty. Hamilton\u2019s banking system provided the nation with credit but also constrained frontier farmers. The Constitution\u2019s guarantee of religious liberty conflicted with many\u00a0popular prerogatives. Dissension only deepened, and as the 1790s progressed, Americans became bitterly divided over political parties and foreign wars.<\/p>\n
During the ratification debates, Alexander Hamilton had written of\u00a0the wonders of the Constitution. \u201cA nation, without a national government,\u201d he wrote, would be \u201can awful spectacle.\u201d But, he added, \u201cthe establishment of a Constitution, in time of profound peace, by the voluntary consent of a whole people, is a prodigy,\u201d a miracle that should be witnessed \u201cwith trembling anxiety.\u201d\u00a0Anti-Federalists had grave concerns about the Constitution, but even\u00a0they could celebrate the idea of national unity. By 1795, even the staunchest critics would have grudgingly agreed with Hamilton\u2019s convictions about the Constitution. Yet these same individuals could also take the cautions in Washington\u2019s\u00a01796 farewell address to heart.\u00a0\u201cThere is an opinion,\u201d Washington wrote, \u201cthat parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty.\u201d This, he conceded, was probably true, but in a republic, he said, the danger was not too little partisanship, but too much. \u201cA fire not to be quenched,\u201d Washington warned, \u201cit demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.\u201d<\/p>\n
For every parade, thanksgiving proclamation, or grand procession honoring the unity of the nation, there was also some political controversy reminding American citizens of how fragile their union was. And as party differences and regional quarrels tested the federal government, the new nation increasingly explored the limits of its\u00a0democracy.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t