Harrison Lee Period 1 CTW Chapter 8 3/3/13 During the late 18th century, many disputes divided the

nation as Americas leaders dealt with affairs that they had never seen before. The people had split beliefs towards Americas decisions with these them, and as time passed it became clear that politics played a major role in American affairs. In both domestic and foreign affairs, the nation faced conflicts, which led to the emergence of political partiesthe result of a divided nation. The appearance of partisan politics played a large part in the division of the nation. Leaders such as Jefferson and Madison felt that Alexander Hamiltons policies favoring wealthy commercial interests at the expense of agriculture would ultimately spiral down to a corrupt American government. To support their ideas as the true heirs of the Revolution, they called themselves the Republicans, while Hamilton and those on his side called themselves Federalists, claiming their link to the Constitution. As a result of this political party formation, newspapers began publishing articles on the heated debates. The Republicans and Federalists would clash again with the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. The Federalist-controlled Congress passed part of act to restrict immigrants from freely moving into the United States not just because of domestic issues but to also counter the sympathy the Republicans had towards the immigrants. In return, Republican-supporting newspapers would publish articles criticizing the Federalists. Divisions also occurred in terms of the view on foreign affairs. The XYZ affair in 1798 began after Federalist President John Adams sent three commissioners to Paris to negotiate a settlement to the French seizure of American vessels carrying British goods. Once again, Republicans wished to pull out a negative side of Adams, and thus insisted that he release the reports of the settlement. Adams, in response, publicized the reports, naming the French agents X, Y, and Z. This created anti-French sentiment, and put the public on Adams side. As a result, the Federalist-based Congress easily authorized American ships the right to seize French vessels. Sticking to their original anti-war beliefs and sympathizing towards the French, the Republicans could do little to defend themselves. Consequently, the Federalists were able to further denounce the Republicans of being traitors and even told the public that anyone who did not hate the French was considered criminals. Disputes inside the young America split the nation in many ways, most notably in the political aspect. From the Sedition Acts to the Quasi-War, people took different sides and supported different causes depending on the political party they favored. Therefore, in domestic and foreign affairs, political disputes divided the nation as the American people struggled to gain ground for their own beliefs.