Thomas Jefferson
Looking back on the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson described it as being "as real a revolution in the principles of our government as that of 1776 was in its form; not effected indeed by the sword, as that, but by the rational and peaceable instrument of reform, the suffrage of the people." Jefferson saw his election as reversing an earlier trend away from republicanism. The departure from true republican principles, as he judged it, had begun with the economic policies of Alexander Hamilton favoring financial and manufacturing interests and the strengthening of the national government at the expense of the states. During John Adams's presidency, Jefferson was further alarmed by the threats to civil liberties posed by the Alien and Sedition Laws restricting freedom of speech, assembly, and the press. Under the administrations of both George Washington and Adams, Jefferson was also concerned that the rituals of the presidency resembled too closely the monarchical models of !By 1800 Jefferson was convinced that the government must be put on a more republican tack if the new Republic were to succeed, and he directed his efforts in the election of 1800 toward that end. In a nation of farmers, Jefferso
------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**. " In responding to Federalists' efforts to suppress minority opinions, Jefferson more clearly defined a basic tenet of American democracy. With a Republican majority in Congress, government expenditures were reduced, taxes cut, and progress made in paying off the national debt. Reaffirming his commitment to an "absolute acquiescence in the decisions of the majority" as a vital principle of republicanism, Jefferson added the "sacred principle that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will, to be rightful, must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect, and to violate would be oppression. In a period of rising military !expenditures and mounting debt, he promised a government "rigorously frugal and simple," reducing the army and navy and applying the savings to discharging the national debt. He also vowed to protect the rights of states while preserving the general government in its whole constitutional vigor. The desire to decrease the army also reflected a republican fear of standing armies that had roots in radical English thought. Initially inclined to push for a constitutional amendment, he yielded to the opinion of advisers that the treaty-making power provided adequate constitutional grounds. With civil liberties threatened by the Alien and Sedition Acts, Jefferson reaffirmed his commitment to the Bill of Rights. President Jefferson promptly initiated simplicity and frugality in government. n's belief in the virtues of an agrarian republic of independent farmers won wide support. Setting a more democratic tone for the executive, he began by walking to his inauguration. Altered circumstances, however, led to the modification of many of these policies before the end of his second term. " This faith in the people was basic to the creed he enunciated in the election of 1800 and implemented as president. That speech provides the best and most succinct statement of Jeffersonian Democracy.
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