Jeffersonian Republicans

The Jeffersonian Republicans was a U.S. political party led by Thomas Jefferson. It was founded in 1792 and dissolved in 1825. It evolved from a congressional faction led by James Madison which was established in January 1790.

Federalist John Adams narrowly defeated Jefferson in the 1796 presidential election. In the "Revolution of 1800," the Republicans gained control of the federal government. Jefferson was president from 1801 until 1809. Jefferson argued for a minimal federal government. He opposed a standing army and even a central bank. The navy Adams had built was allowed to deteriorate. The charter of the Bank of the United States expired in 1811. The War of 1812 demonstrated the need for a stronger government, and a Second Bank of the United States was chartered in 1816. Under President James Monroe (1817-1825), the party adopted much of the Federalist agenda that it had previously scorned.

Those who supported Monroe's approach were called "Nationalists," while those who were skeptical were called "Democrats." The word "democrat" had been popularized in the 1790s by the French Revolution.

When Andrew Jackson ran for president in 1824, the party split into Jacksonian and Anti-Jacksonian factions. The Jacksonians are the direct ancestor of the modern Democratic Party. In 1830, the Anti-Jacksonians established the National Republican Party. This group later evolved into the Whig Party.

In Jefferson's time, his party was known as the Republicans. The creation of the modern Republican Party in 1854 made this terminology confusing. The term "Democratic-Republican Party," which originated in reference to the pro-Jackson wing, is sometimes erroneously applied to the party as a whole.

Republican presidents

• Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
• James Madison (1809-1817)
• James Monroe (1817-1825)
• John Quincy Adams (1825-29) (anti-Jacksonian)

See also

• Federalist Party