The trustees and the president were then all Federalists, and there would seem to have been no differences of either a political or a religious nature.

The trouble arose from the resistance of a minority of the trustees to what they termed the "family dynasty." Wheelock, however, maintained his ascendency until 1809, when his enemies obtained a majority in the board of trustees, and thereafter admitted no friend of the president to the government, and used every effort to subdue the dominant dynasty.
In New Hampshire, at that period, the Federalists were the ruling party, and the Congregationalists formed the state church.

The people were, in practice, taxed to support Congregational churches, and the clergy of that denomination were exempted from taxation.

All the Congregational ministers were stanch Federalists and most of their parishioners were of the same party.

The college, the only seat of learning in the State, was one of the Federalist and Congregational strongholds.
After several years of fruitless and bitter conflict, the Wheelock party, in 1815, brought their grievances before the public in an elaborate pamphlet.