Democratic-Republican Party was a political party established during the 1790’s under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. It was generally called the Republican Party, but it had no relation to today’s Republican Party, founded in 1854.
Appealing mainly to farmers, craftsmen, shopkeepers, and Southern planters, the Democratic-Republican Party opposed the policies of the Federalist Party, led by Alexander Hamilton. The Federalists wanted a strong national government controlled by the upper classes. Democratic-Republicans believed that most power should be held by the states and favored a weak national government. They supported broad participation in elections.
Jefferson was President from 1801 to 1809. He reversed some Federalist policies that had been put into effect when Hamilton was secretary of the treasury, notably an excise tax that burdened farmers more than any other group. Madison succeeded Jefferson and served from 1809 to 1817. Another Democratic-Republican, James Monroe, held the presidency from 1817 to 1825.
By about 1816, the Federalist Party had broken up as a national organization. With its decline, the Democratic-Republican Party split into several groups. Andrew Jackson emerged as the candidate of one of these groups and was elected President in 1828. Most historians regard Jackson’s campaign organization as the beginning of today’s Democratic Party.
See also Era of Good Feeling.
