"F" is for the Federalist Party. During the early years of the new republic the Federalist Party flourished in South Carolina, holding the lion’s share of political power in the state. It was the unifying ideology for the powerful planter and commercial elite that guided the state's affairs during the tumultuous post-Revolutionary War years. Carolinians also played significant roles in the national party. William Loughton Smith was Alexander Hamilton's chief spokesman in Congress. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney was the party's vice-presidential candidate in 1800 and presidential nominee in 1804 and 1808. However, Federalists were out of step with a majority of the state's voters who favored Thomas Jefferson's policies over those of Hamilton. After Pinckney's defeat in the presidential election of 1804, Federalism was essentially dead in South Carolina as it was throughout much of the nation.
"F" is for the Federalist Party
