The Federalist Party called for a weak national government.
 Some Federalist leaders (Essex Junto) began courting Jefferson's vice president and Hamilton's nemesis Aaron Burr in an attempt to swing New York into an independent confederation with the New England states, which along with New York were supposed to secede from the United States after Burr's election to Governor
In terms of "classical conservatism", the Federalists had no truck with European-style aristocracy, monarchy, or established religion

