What led to the downfall of the Federalists?

The Federalists simply lost touch with the majority of the people. Their political philosophy was based on the idea that the rich and upper classes had an obligation to rule the lower classes. Alexander Hamilton even lobbied to name George Washington a king. However, after the presidency of John Adams, most Americans disliked the idea of one class ruling another, or even the idea of having different classes in a society. They had fought a war for individual freedoms, something Thomas Jefferson understood. The Jeffersonian idea of allowing individuals, no matter what their economic status, to rule themselves, became the prevailing political philosophy in America and Federalists ideas died out or were incorporated in other political parties.