United States History
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From the early days of the nation, American democratic values have been shaped by a political structure of parties with different philosophies and policies on the balance of power in the government. These values expanded over time, and with them, the disagreement for states' rights and the federal government also grew. The constitutional arguments between the Federalists and the Anti-federalists began the debate over national authority. The dispute continued as the Federalists and the Jeffersonians debated their differences over the interpretation of the Constitution. The Jacksonians and the Whigs defined republicanism in their own ways to give rights to the common people of their time. Throughout the years of the nation, the central issue dividing the political groups of each era was the debate over states' rights versus the power of the federal government.
The founders of America created a political system based on the principle of democracy through the constitution, yet the question of states' rights divided the political groups of every era. The Articles of Confederation served as the first Constitution of the nation, but the conservatives wanted to get rid of them to create a strong central government to keep their wealth, while the poorer states' wanted to keep the rights. The argument continued, as Americans saw their state sovereignty fall after the Federalists strengthened the political structure of the democratic nation at the Constitutional Convention. The Anti-federalists were the poorer classes that were not represented and were against the strong central government...