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Lesson 16: What Is the Role of Political Parties in the Constitutional System?


Lesson Purpose

Soon after the federal government was established, there was an unforeseen development to which most of the Framers were opposed: the formation of political parties. This lesson describes the Framers' views on political parties and how the first parties came to be formed. It also explains how parties became an essential component of the American political system by helping to address challenges that the Constitution left unresolved.