Democratic Republican Party

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The Democratic Republican Party (only Republican Party until 1798 ) emerged in the early years of the United States of America as a republican party and counterpart to the federalists , who had clearly prevailed with their ideas of a strong federal government when the American constitution was being drawn up. At the time, almost only the term Republican Party was in use, while historians use the then occasional term Democratic Republican Party to distinguish it from the indistinguishable modern Republicans . Since Thomas Jefferson founded the party next to the former federalist James Madison around 1791 and had great influence on its program, they are also called Jeffersonian Republicans .

The party had its origins in the groupings of the anti- federalists and the anti-administration party , who spoke out against too strong a central government for the still young USA and against Alexander Hamilton's financial policy , since it was about the rights of individual states and individual citizens feared. In addition, their supporters had sympathy for the ideas of the French Revolution and strictly opposed rapprochement with the former colonial power Great Britain . Thomas Jefferson was the first Democrat-Republican President after the independent General of Independence George Washington and the Federal President John Adams . After the Federalist Party collapsed as a result of the war of 1812 , the Democratic Republican Party was at times the only significant party. James Monroe had practically no opponent as incumbent president in 1820 , after he had won a huge victory over the historically last federalist candidate in 1816.

In the 1824 presidential election, on the other hand, four Democratic-Republicans ran against each other for Monroe's successor. Andrew Jackson received the most votes, but not an absolute majority. The House of Representatives , which elects the president from the three candidates with the most votes in such cases, particular - through the intermediary of its speaker and the fellow contestants Henry Clay - John Quincy Adams as president. Clay was then appointed to Adams' cabinet . This process, overshadowed by allegations of corruption, led to a permanent rift within the party between Jacksons and Adams' supporters. A little later, the party split into the still existing Democratic Party , the supporters of Jackson, who was finally elected president in 1828, and the short-lived National Republican Party , the supporters of Adams and Clay.

Democratic Republican Presidents

  1. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
  2. James Madison (1809-1817)
  3. James Monroe (1817-1825)
  4. John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ronald D. Gerste: Duel ums Weisse Haus: American presidential elections from George Washington to 2008 NZZ Libro, ISBN 978-3-03823-416-6