During the revolutionary period in the early 19th century, two dominant political parties; the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists disagreed in terms of political ideas about how to run the country and how to treat the Constitution. Jeffersonian Republicans believed in strong state governments, a weak central government, and a strict understanding of the Constitution unlike the Federalists. The Federalist favored a powerful central government, weak state governments, and had a broad elucidation of the Constitution. While these characteristics of both political parties were accurate, this was only up to a point. The solid division between Jeffersonian Republicans and Federalists began to blur during the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Both parties occasionally strayed from their core beliefs, as neither party was capable of leading the nation with purely Republican/Federalist ideals. When Jefferson took office, his intentions were to move away from Federalist policies and set the nation on the path he had chosen. thought it would be more advantageous. His republican beliefs were illustrated in his letter to Gideon Granger of August 13, 1800 (Document A) in which he expressed a desire to minimize the power of the central government by strengthening state governments. “Our country is too large to have all its affairs directed by one government…” Jefferson envisioned a government that had the interest of the people at heart, and to do so Jefferson believed the federal Constitution would have to be preserved and, if not, the future for the nation would not have been so great. Jefferson wrote to Granger "[our country] can never be harmonious and solid if thus respected...... middle of paper... the children of their parents, and parents train their children and force them to fight the battles of any war… who will show me any constitutional injunction that is the duty of the American people.” The two dominant parties of the early 19th century firmly believed in their ideas and how they viewed the laws of the Constitution. Jeffersonian Republicans believed in strong state governments, a weak central government, and a strict understanding of the Constitution unlike the Federalists. The Federalist favored a powerful central government, weak state governments, and had a broad elucidation of the Constitution. Nonetheless, such characteristics of both political parties were accurate; it only went so far. On occasion both parties have strayed from their core beliefs for what they thought would benefit the United States and its citizens.