During the 1790s opposition to the program of Alexander Hamilton to create a stronger central government gradually coalesced into a political party. Initially, this party took its name from the Democratic-Republican societies of 1794. Later, party members were often simply referred to as the Republicans. History textbooks use a variety of labels for the party, including, Democratic-Republican, Republican-Democratic, Republican, Democratic, Jeffersonian, Jeffersonian-Republican, and Jeffersonian-Democratic. Whatever the name, the party should not be confused with either the Democratic or Republican Parties that emerged later in U. S. history. Centered on the ideas of James Madison and Thomas Jeeeerson, the Democratic-Republicans supported limited government, extension of democratic rights to the “people” (white adult males), and strict construction of the United States Constitution.
The party began in Congress under the leadership of Madison. As secretary of state, Jefferson encouraged and worked with Madison, but it was Madison who coordinated a caucus in opposition to Hamilton’s program. If there were some alliances among legislators in 1791 and 1792, local organization began to emerge only in 1793 and 1794. In fact, it was more the French Revolution (1789-99) and France’s war with Great Britain in 1793—rather than economic policy—that mobilized popular sentiment. Enthusiasm for republican France spilled onto the streets and became a means of party identity. By 1796 party development remained only partial. The Democratic-Republican caucus in Congress nominated Jefferson for president; individual states had formed groups of alliances that called themselves Democratic-Republican; many newspapers had clear party allegiances; and there were local organizations— but a national party structure hardly existed. The Federalist Party helped party development along by pushing its policies too hard over the next four years. Increased taxation, expansion of the army and navy, the Quasi-War (1798-1800), and the Alien and Sedition Acts (1798) all demonstrated to many people in the United States the evils of a strong government run amok. By the election oe i8oo the Democratic-Republican Party had taken form, even if many of its leaders thought that the party was only a temporary expedient to save the republic.
After 1800, the Democratic-Republicans dominated the national scene but did not control every state and region. New England, in particular, remained a bastion of the Federalist Party. As a political party, the Democratic-Republicans were often divided into factions that vied with one another. In New York, for example, the Burrites (supporters of Aaron Burr) contended with the Clintonians (adherents of George Clinton and his nephew DeWitt Clinton), and others for control of the state. Allegiances that centered around a family or individual appeared in other states as well. By the end of the War of 1812 (181215), and in the wake of the Hartford Convention, the Federalist Party had lost almost all support. The United States became a single party democracy. The unity of the Era of Good Feelings lasted only a few years, as different factions competed with each other nationally, eventually giving birth to a new party system in the 1820s and 1830s. By that time, although politicians still claimed a Jeffersonian legacy, the Democratic-Republican Party had also ceased to exist.
See also political parties.
Further reading: Richard J. Buel, Jr., Securing the Revolution: Ideology in American Politics, 1789-1815 (Ithaca, N. Y.: Cornell University Press, 1972); Richard Hofstadter, The Idea of a Party System: The Rise of Legitimate Opposition in the United States, 1780-1840 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1972).
World History
