Although James Madison would have been called a "Federalist" during the ratification issue, by the time the first two American political parties (Federalists and Democratic-Republicans) had solidified, he was firmly a Democratic-Republican. George Washington belonged to no political party, although likely he would have leaned more towards the Federalists. The Federalists had died out before Andrew Jackson entered the political arena. The only politician who is correctly matched is Thomas Jefferson. Not only was Jefferson a Democratic-Republican, he formed the party. The Federalist Party was founded and led by Alexander Hamilton.

The New Deal coalition emerged during the early years of the Roosevelt administration and would allow the Democratic party to dominate American politics for the next thirty years. It is used to refer to the alignment of seemingly disparate social and interest groups into one reliable voting bloc that would support New Deal policies and the continued expansion of social welfare and government involvement in the well-being of the population. It included the urban working class, Catholics, Jews, white southerners, African Americans, farmers, and intellectuals.

The Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans (sometimes just called the Republicans) were the first party system to emerge out of George Washington’s presidency.

The Federalists tended to favor in political concentration in the hands of the elite, along with a more business-favored outlook. Thus, people like Hamilton and Adams were preeminent Federalists.

The Democratic-Republicans, on the other hand, believed that political power should be more diffuse, and were a much more diverse bunch. That said, don’t get too confused—they were just more diverse than Federalists; they were not all-welcoming by any means. Jefferson and Madison were leaders of the party. The D-Rs believed in a much more agrarian-based economy, and were less enthusiastic about northern business interests. The first party system lasted from c.a. 1796 – c.a. 1824.

At the end of the First Party system, we see the Democratic-Republicans deeply fractured, internally. A lot of students assume that the “Era of Good Feelings” (Monroe’s presidency, [elected in] 1816-1824) means that there was no party competition at all, but this is not necessarily true. During the Era of Good Feelings there was INTRA-party competition.  The Democratic - Republican Party was deeply divided over issues such as internal improvements, tariffs, and more. Remember: historians coined the term “Era of Good Feelings” because the Federalists had essentially fallen into obsolescence after the War of 1812, thus leaving only the Democratic-Republicans extant.

This division, of course, leads us into the Second Party system (c.a. 1828 - c.a. 1854). The remnants of the Federalists, and some similar-thinking Democratic-Republicans formed the Whig party. The Democratic – Republicans dropped the “Republican” part, and began calling themselves “Democrats.” Many political scientists and historians refer to them as “Jacksonian” Democrats because Andrew Jackson was the first duly elected “Democrat” president.

The third party system (c.a. 1854 – c.a. 1890s) is where we see the development and the solidification of the two parties that still exist today, the Democrats and Republicans. Remember: Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president.

Having said that, it’s important to note that make-up of the parties (no, not the kind you wear on your face) has changed tremendously throughout the years. This is a product of what political scientists call realignment, which if beyond the scope of this particular question. For now, just know that 1854 is the first Democrat v. Republican election, and that it’s pretty much been Democrat v. Republican since then. 

The New Deal Coalition came together in the early years of the 1930s to promote and keep in office President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This coalition was immensely strong, mainly due to its wide inclusion of diverse citizens from all walks of life, including Southerners, African Americans, Catholics, Jews, members of labor unions, people who lived in cities, and the poor. While the very wealthy were not likely to support the New Deal Coalition, the other groups joined together because of their respect and support for the numerous programs which FDR put into action to help the nation hold itself together during the difficult years of the Great Depression. This Coalition would prove so strong in its Democratic Party allegiance that it continued to vote Democratic leaders into office up through the 1960s.

Our current party system, with the Democrats and Republicans as the two main parties, came into being right before the start of the Civil War and has held sway ever since. The Federalist Party, however, actually vigorously promoted the US Constitution, with its leaders Alexander Hamilton and John Adams lobbying intensely for its adoption. Abraham Lincoln was actually the very first Republican candidate to become President and the Jacksonian Democrats took their name from their most famous and popular member, Andrew Jackson, whose ideas the party aggressively supported for decades.

Out of the above list, the Jeffersonians are the only example of a mainstream political party. The Jeffersonians formed at the beginning of the 1800s to support Thomas Jefferson and eventually transitioned into the Democratic-Republican Party, which continued to uphold Jefferson’s ideals. Every other party listed is an example of an influential third party – from the Free Soilers who campaigned throughout the 1850s to halt the spread of slavery to Ralph Nader’s environmentally-conscious Green Party to Theodore Roosevelt’s reform-minded Progressives. While none of these parties ever successfully managed to win the White House, nevertheless they each forced the public and the mainstream party system to take notice and respond to the crucial issues each championed.

While the Federalists and Anti-Federalists did disagree on exactly to spell out the various individual freedoms (the Anti-Federalists, who championed the Bill of Rights, thought the Constitution was initially too unclear), both parties agreed wholeheartedly about the necessity and governmental preservation of personal liberties. On the other hand, these two groups did indeed engage in many conflicts and shared few other commonalities. The Federalists wanted the national government to be stronger than the individual state governments, a power structure which the Anti-Federalists fiercely opposed. Meanwhile, the Anti-Federalists believed that political officials should be directly elected by the people and should serve only short terms, while the Federalists wanted just the opposite (indirect election and longer terms). Most of the Federalists were well-off individuals, either large landowners or successful merchants or professionals, and therefore believed that the highest government offices would be best run by their fellow elites, who they contended had the necessary education and experience for successful governing. The Anti-Federalists derided this belief; as small farmers or laborers, they felt that the so-called “common man” (aka the average white male citizen) was more than intelligent and qualified enough by their various life experiences to effectively govern. According to the Anti-Federalists, the Federalists were nothing more than snobby elitists, while the Federalists looked down their opponents as small-minded and petty.

The first major party that organized in the United States was the Federalists. They organized around the effort to get the Constitution rarified. They faced loose and unorganized opposition from the Anti-Federalists (not a formal party).