Jeffersonian Democracy

Jeffersonian Democracy is a center-left political movement that was dominant in the United States in the early 19th century. He is dedicated to the ideals of Thomas Jefferson, its prominent advocate that the movement was named for. He is opposed to the aristocracy and corruption of elitists and merchants, valuing planters, farmers, and "plain folk" as the true backbone of the republic.

The greatest example of Jeffersonian Democracy is the Democratic-Republican Party, founded in 1792 as an opposition to the Federalist Party of Alexander Hamilton. The party gained political dominance in the elections of 1800 as Jefferson was elected president and it became the majority in Congress. When their opposition collapsed, the party soon became divided in 1824 between two factions: those who supported John Quincy Adams and those who backed Andrew Jackson. Jackson's supporters formed the Democratic Party, and Adams's faction became the National Republican Party.

Jeffersonian democracy and its main themes are still present in the United States, found often in American Conservatism.

Wikipedia articles

 * Thomas Jefferson
 * Jeffersonian democracy
 * Democratic-Republican Party