Students learn about the contrasting views of Hamilton and Jefferson and the origin of the first political parties. They will explore the election of 1796 and write about the candidates' platforms.
Students learn about the contrasting views of Hamilton and Jefferson and the origin of the first political parties. They will explore the election of 1796 and write about the candidates' platforms.
Students read background text about George Washington’s warning against political parties, the emerging split within his cabinet, and the growing disagreements between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. They respond to a shared prompt on a class wall explaining how disagreement within government can create challenges and how it might be beneficial.
Teacher MovesIntroduce the lesson focus and objectives, highlighting that early leaders disagreed over issues such as the strength of the national government, the nation’s finances, and interpretation of the Constitution. As students share wall responses, draw out ideas about how disagreement can both slow decision-making and protect against concentrated power. Connect these ideas to the historical context and preview that disagreements between Hamilton and Jefferson helped create the first political parties.
Students read Hamilton vs. Jefferson to learn about key issues on which the two leaders disagreed. They complete a table by selecting at least two issues and summarizing Hamilton’s and Jefferson’s views on each. After reading about how citizens began to align with either the Federalists or the Republicans, they watch the video Federalists and Democratic-Republicans to deepen their understanding of each party’s beliefs. They then complete a drag-and-drop activity, matching specific beliefs (such as support for a strong central government, agricultural economy, national bank, or states’ rights) to either the Federalist or Republican party.
Teacher MovesExplain how to use and sort the comparison table, then invite a few students to share issues they selected and summarize each leader’s position. Emphasize contrasts in government power, economic priorities, and the banking system. After the video and drag-and-drop activity, prompt students to connect the parties’ disagreements back to the benefits and challenges of political disagreement they identified in Scene 1.
Students read background text about the election of 1796 as the first major contest between Federalists and Republicans, then read the article The Election of 1796 and examine the map Election of 1796. They post a response on a class wall explaining how the vice president was chosen in 1796. Next, they complete a table listing which states were won by the Federalists and which by the Democratic-Republicans based on the election map. Finally, they respond on another class wall to explain what the geographic divide in election results suggests about tensions between different viewpoints in the country.
Teacher MovesClarify that in 1796 the candidate with the second-highest number of electoral votes became vice president. Provide or confirm the list of states carried by each party as students complete the table. After students post about what the electoral divide reveals, lead a synthesis discussion that connects back to earlier scenes: how disagreements over government power and the economy spread from leaders to voters, how these disagreements reflected deep, competing visions for the nation’s future, and how the rise of political parties made such divisions a lasting feature of the U.S. political system.
Working in small groups, students are assigned either John Adams or Thomas Jefferson. Using pack resources or other teacher-approved online sources, they research their candidate’s positions on key issues in the election of 1796. Each group then collaborates to write a party platform that explains their candidate’s key positions to voters.
Teacher MovesExplain that this Elaborate scene is essential preparation for the quiz. Assign each group either Adams or Jefferson and direct them to appropriate resources. After groups submit their platforms, select an exemplary platform for each candidate and share it with the class. Use these examples to guide a whole-class discussion about the role political parties play in government.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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