My brain hurts. :)
Well I know that feeling, dear trisham!
It's hard to get a grasp on things, when the very meaning of words is constantly being redefined. Such words, as for instance: Federalist; Nationalist; Republican; Democrat; and so forth.
From the very beginning of the American nation, the spirit of partisan politics began to take hold.
Washington and his presidential successor Adams were clearly aligned with the Federalist school of thought. When Jefferson subsequently emerged, he called himself a "Republican." And fought the Federalists tooth and nail, every chance he got.
But what does this drama mean, if we don't know how to define "Federalist" and "Republican?"
So I am very grateful to Publius for his insight that the designation/definition "Federalist" originally referred to the problem of "States' rights v. national government rights," and came down on the side of the rights of the States, in balance with the original constitutional plan as specified in the Tenth Amendment.
And so, I am a Federalist. Go figure!!!