Politics is a word with many meanings. It has to do with being prudent and making wise judgments, and with seeking, obtaining, and using power — but it goes beyond that. Politics is a word that is used for anything relating to government. The way laws are established and carried out has to do with politics. Electing governmental officials, the people who make and enforce the laws, has to do with politics. Any decisions having to do with the government are politics. A political party is a group of people who have joined together because they have similar ideas about government and want to put these ideas into action. When our founding fathers met in Philadelphia in 1787 to draw up the Constitution (shown at the right), they did not include any mention of political parties. George Washington, who presided over the Constitutional Convention, opposed the development of political parties. However, as time went on, the Federalists (led by Alexander Hamilton) supported a strong national government, while their opposition, the Anti-Federalists (led by Thomas Jefferson), supported a weak central government which gave more power to the individual states. Later on these two groups became known as the Democratic and Republican parties. To refresh yourself on some of the issues between Federalists and Anti-Federalists, review Lesson 3.
