Jeffersonians

Examples of Jeffersonians in the following topics:

• Jefferson's Agrarian Policy

  • The Jeffersonians believed in democracy and equality of political opportunity, especially for the yeoman farmer and the plain folk.
  • The Jeffersonians believed in democracy and equality of political opportunity (for white male citizens), with a priority for the yeoman farmer and the plain folk.
  • Therefore, while the Federalists advocated for a strong central government, Jeffersonian-Democrats argued for strong state and local governments and a weak federal government.
  • Jeffersonian-Democrats welcomed opportunities for the territorial expansion of the United States because it would produce new farm lands for yeomen farmers as well as facilitate western Indian integration into American society.
  • Despite the Jeffersonian ideal of a limited central government (which would not be empowered to negotiate such an expansive land deal) and Jefferson's own commitment to policies for federal debt reduction (the United States paid France fifteen million dollars for the territory), the Louisiana Purchase symbolized the success of Jeffersonian Democracy in several ways.

• Jacksonian Democrats: 1824–1860

  • Jackson's policies followed the era of Jeffersonian democracy which dominated the previous political era.
  • The Democratic-Republican Party of the Jeffersonians became factionalized in the 1820s.
  • It can be contrasted with the characteristics of Jeffersonian democracy.
  • Jeffersonians opposed inherited elites but favored educated men while the Jacksonians gave little weight to education.
  • The Whigs were the inheritors of Jeffersonian Democracy in terms of promoting schools and colleges.

• The Democratization of the Political Arena

  • Jackson's policies followed the era of Jeffersonian democracy, which had dominated the previous political era.
  • The Democratic-Republican Party of the Jeffersonians had become factionalized in the 1820s.
  • It can be contrasted with the characteristics of Jeffersonian democracy.
  • While Jeffersonians favored educated men (though they opposed inherited elites), the Jacksonians gave little weight to education.
  • The Whigs were the inheritors of Jeffersonian Democracy, in terms of promoting schools and colleges.

• The Spread of Democracy

  • In contrast to the Jeffersonian political era that preceded it, Jacksonian democracy promoted the strength of the executive branch of government at the expense of Congress while also seeking to broaden the public's participation in government.
  • Unlike Jeffersonians, their emphasis on education was minimal and they demanded elected (not appointed) judges, rewriting many state constitutions to reflect these new values.
  • The Democratic-Republican Party of the Jeffersonians became factionalized in the 1820s.
  • The Whigs became the inheritors of Jeffersonian Democracy in terms of promoting schools and colleges.

• Slavery and Politics

  • Although Jeffersonians extolled the virtues of the independent yeoman, they also were strongly in favor of slavery.
  • In the minds of Jeffersonians, yeomen only could be white (and male).
  • Jeffersonians resisted antislavery and abolition vigorously, pointing to the violence of the revolution in Haiti as justification for keeping Africans enslaved in the United States.

• The Rise of the West

  • Westward expansion was motivated by the Jeffersonian ideal of the yeoman farmer and enabled by technological improvements.
  • Although Federalists opposed the expansion, Jeffersonians hailed the opportunity to create millions of new farms to expand the domain of farm-owning yeomen.

• The Jackson Presidency

  • Jackson's policies followed Jeffersonian democracy, which had dominated the previous political era.
  • While Jeffersonians favored educated men (though they opposed inherited elites), the Jacksonians gave little weight to education.
  • The Whigs were the inheritors of Jeffersonian democracy in terms of promoting schools and colleges.
  • In contrast to the Jeffersonian era, Jacksonian democracy promoted the strength of the presidency and executive branch at the expense of Congress, while also seeking to broaden the public's participation in government.
  • Like the Jeffersonians, who strongly believed in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, Jacksonians initially favored a federal government of limited powers.

• The "Era of Good Feelings"

  • Old Republican critics of the new nationalism, among them John Randolph of Roanoke, Virginia, had warned that the abandonment of the Jeffersonian scheme of Southern preeminence would provoke a sectional conflict between the North and the South that would threaten the Union.
  • Old Republicans feared such an outcome was inevitable if universal adherence to the precepts of Jeffersonianism was absent.
  • With the decline in political consensus, Jeffersonian principles were indeed revived on the basis of Southern exceptionalism, and the interlude of the "Era of Good Feelings" came to an end.

• The "Reign of Witches"

  • This legislation, Jeffersonian democrats argued, proved that Federalists were intent on establishing a tyrannical, aristocratic government and would silence the opposition through political persecution.

• The Louisiana Purchase

  • The Jeffersonians believed in democracy and equality of political opportunity (for white male citizens), and prioritized the yeoman way of life.
  • Jeffersonians hoped to embody a decentralized system of limited government and maximum individual liberty in order to circumscribe tyrannical powers.
  • Because of these values, Jeffersonians welcomed opportunities for the territorial expansion of the United States, believing it would produce new farm lands for yeomen.
  • Despite Jefferson's adherence to the ideal of a limited central government (which would not be empowered to negotiate such an expansive land deal) and his own commitment to policies for federal debt reduction (the United States paid France $15 million for the territory), the Louisiana Purchase symbolized the success of Jeffersonian democracy in several ways.