Jeffersonians
Early republic advocates
Jeffersonians are followers or admirers of Thomas Jefferson's political philosophy—emphasizing limited federal government, agrarian values, individual liberty, and strict constitutional interpretation.
The term typically describes early 19th-century American politicians who opposed Federalist centralization, though it extends to anyone advocating similar principles: Modern Jeffersonians distrust concentrated power in Washington.
Government by elected officials
- decentralizationDistributing power from center
- agrarianismDoctrine valuing farm life
- anti-federalismOpposition to central authority
- self-governanceIndependent management of affairs
localism · majoritarian · grassroots · participatory · egalitarianism · anti-monarchism
Owned piece of terrain
- self-sufficiencyIndependence from outside aid
- pastoralOf countryside or clergy care
- homesteadFamily farm and dwelling
- cultivationFostering growth through care
farming · husbandry · plantation · subsistence · tillers · freeholder
republicanism
Government by elected officials
- decentralizationDistributing power from center
- agrarianismDoctrine valuing farm life
- anti-federalismOpposition to central authority
self-governance · localism · majoritarian · grassroots · participatory · egalitarianism · anti-monarchism
Democratic-Republican
Early American political party
- MonticelloVirginia presidential estate
landholding
Owned piece of terrain
- self-sufficiencyIndependence from outside aid
- pastoralOf countryside or clergy care
- homesteadFamily farm and dwelling
cultivation · farming · husbandry · plantation · subsistence · tillers · freeholder
civil-liberties
Personal rights limiting government
- anti-establishmentOpposing dominant institutions