jan 1, 1787 - Federalist and Democratic-Republican factions form

Description:

As the Founding Fathers debated over what would be in the new US Constitution and if it should be ratified, two factions formed: The Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. The former group was supported largely by the mercantile classes of the US and the latter by its farmers. Accordingly, the former called for a strong central government to protect commerce and the latter a more loose, state-based government to protect the independence of the farmers. While not political parties in earnest, their key platforms, rhetoric and support bases would become staples of true political parties later on.

Added to timeline:

Date: