Jeffersonians vs. Federalists During the period of 1801-1817, the Jeffersonians and the Federalists were viewed differently when it came to the federal Constitution. The Jeffersonians were viewed as strict constructionists and the Federalists were more of a group of loose constructionists. Although the two parties had their different views on the federal government, they occasionally switched their views to help solve certain situations. The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, were "laid back" when it came …showed first 75 words of 720 total…

…showed last 75 words of 720 total…they were passed, because everybody said that they were constitutional. As shown above, both parties, the Federalists and the Jeffersonians, switched sides, if it benefited them. The parties were proud of how they had grown, so they only switched beliefs when they had to. The Federalists and the Jeffersonians both had their own interpretations of how the Constitution should be. The characterization of the two parties was equally accurate and wrong at the same time.