Question

The creation of the first political parties in the

United States resulted from a controversy over
A. declaring independence from Great Britain
B. recognizing women's equality
C. expanding slavery into the newly acquired
territories
D. interpreting the Constitution

Answer 1

D. interpreting the Constitution

The first two political parties, the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans, formed from controversies on how the Constitution was to be interpreted. Federalists such as Alexander Hamilton believed the Constitution gave implied powers and therefore could be interpreted loosely. Democratic Republicans such as Thomas Jefferson believed the opposite and believed the Constitution must be strictly interpreted.