The Federalist Era was a time period in American history from roughly 1789-1801 when the Federalist Party was dominant in American politics. This period saw the adoption of the United States Constitution and the expansion of the federal government. In addition, the era saw the growth of a strong nationalistic government under the control of the Federalist Party. Among the most important events of this period was the foreign entanglements between France and Great Britain, the assertion of a strong, centralized federal government, and creation of political parties.

The United States Constitution was written in 1787 and unanimously ratified by the states in 1788, taking effect in 1789. The winning supporters of ratification of the Constitution were called Federalists, the opponents were called "Anti-Federalists." The immediate problem faced by the Federalists was not simply one of acceptance of the Constitution but the more fundamental concern of legitimacy for the government of the new republic. With this challenge in mind, the new national government needed to act with the idea that every act was being carried out for the first time and would therefore have great significance and be viewed along the lines of the symbolic as well as practical implications. The first elections to the new United States Congress returned heavy Federalist majorities.

Martin Callanan (born 8 August 1961) is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been a Member of the European Parliament for the North East England constituency since 1999, and was re-elected in 2004 and 2009.

Callanan was born in Newcastle upon Tyne. Before becoming an MEP, he stood as a parliamentary candidate for Washington (in the 1987 election), Gateshead East (in the 1992 election), and Tynemouth (in the 1997 election).

He vehemently opposed the erection of the "Angel of the North" sculpture by Antony Gormley.

Before his election to the European Parliament, Callanan worked as a project engineer at Scottish and Newcastle breweries and holds a BSc degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Newcastle Polytechnic. Callanan was the last Conservative member of Gateshead Borough Council, before standing down in 1996. He is a member of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. Callanan is a regular contributor to ConservativeHome, writing a monthly report.