Federalist
The term federalist describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves Federalists.[1]
In the United States the term federalist usually applies to a member of one of the following groups:
- Statesmen and public figures supporting the proposed Constitution of the United States between 1787 and 1789. The most prominent advocates were James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay. They published The Federalist Papers, which expounded the principles of the early federalist movement to promote and adopt the proposed Constitution.
- Statesmen and public figures supporting the administrations of presidents George Washington (1789–1797) and John Adams (1797–1801). They became the Federalist Party, founded by Alexander Hamilton. During the 1790s and early 1800s, the Federalist Party opposed the Democratic-Republican Party (founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison) over issues of how broadly or narrowly to apply the provisions of the new Constitution.
The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is an organization of conservative and libertarian lawyers and others dedicated to debate of these principles.