Question

During the Federalist era, events in other countries did much to shape political party growth and domestic policy. Look at American relations with England, Spain, and France; analyze how these relations affected the two political parties that emerged during this period; explain the way the government responded to this foreign influence on the parties.

Answer 1

During the Federalist Era, the two major political parties which rose to prominence in National Politics were the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republican Party. 

The US's relations with Britain were formalised with the Jay treaty, which most historians credit with maintaining peace between the US and the United Kingdom, and this was a major point of contention between the two major parties. 

During the American Revolutionary War, France provided vital military support to the American Revolutionaries, and was arguable the US's greatest ally of the era. 
Consequently, the Republican Party was opposed to the Jay treaty, and they argued that any understanding between Britain and the United States would undermine the US's relations with their chief ally, France.