How would you have voted?: United States Presidential Elections (user search)

I'm actually really surprised so many of you prefer the Democratic-Republican party to the Federalists. Washington was a federalist. I honestly feel that if the Adams family was able to beat Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, the United States would have been a much more progressive country and slavery would have probably been abolished a lot sooner. Also I would never vote for someone who did something as despicable as what Jefferson did in his personal life.

I agree that the Federalists were better on the issues than the Democratic-Republicans. And John Quincy Adams was easily the best person to be elected president between Washington and Lincoln. But, at least as far as 1800 goes, I'd probably be a single-issue voter and that issue would be kicking out the person who signed the abominable Alien and Sedition Acts, the most blatantly unconstitutional piece of legislation America has ever enacted. (And at such a fragile time, too!)

Really, the only true reason somebody who lived today would have to vote for the Federalists would be economic positions (mostly trade). It is a great insult to my intelligence to suggest that the Federalists were "the anti-slavery" party, considering the amount of plantation owning elites (think the Pinckneys) they had in their party. Also, the Democratic Republicans had their own pretty fair share of anti-slavery advocates (mostly in the North). As for "progressive", well I guess if you favor a strongly centralized government where only a tiny highly educated elite has the right to democracy, that would be considered progressive.
But no, let's act like the only issue that existed was slavery, shall we?

Also, James Buchanan, yeah the great evil slavery loving President, started out as a Federalist at a time when the party was well beyond the point of no return.

The Federalists were also the party of internal improvements (National Road, Erie Canal), a monetary policy that actually existed (the bank was not perfect, but it was a hell of a lot better than no bank), and urban interests (growing manufacturing and industry rather than biasing things in favor of anti-intellectual agrarianism); and it is to the credit of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe that they were able to bring at least some of these ideas into their governance. Really, the fact that they were pro-infrastructure is the biggie for me.

I do recognize that their attitude towards civil liberties was atrocious, and it would be a disqualifying factor most of the time even though their proposals were otherwise better for the nation's unity and well-being.

For me, I probably do agree with the Federalists more on the issues, and the Democratic-Republicans have a rural populist tendency that I don't like, but overall I have to say I'd vote for the Democratic-Republicans in the early years because the biggest issue at that time was shaping how American democracy would play out and the Federalists are too elitist and undemocratic for me. At the time when the US was just starting out as a democracy I can't really support putting people who pass the Alien and Sedition Acts in power. I'd probably start drifting more towards the Federalist/Whig side later. In 1812 I'd vote for Clinton out of opposition to the war and by the 1820's I definitely would support John Quincy Adams (a great president) over Andrew Jackson (a terrible one).

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