Jeffersonian Republicans

With respect to the Federal Constitution, the Jeffersonian Republicans are usually characterized as strict constructionists who were opposed to the broad construction of the Federalists. This characterization of the two parties was not very accurate during the presidencies of Jefferson and Madison. The Jeffersonian Republicans believed in strong state governments, a weak central government, and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. The Federalists saw it differently. They opted for a powerful central government with weaker state governments, and a loose interpretation of the Constitution. The seemingly solid divide between Federalist and Republican would begin to blur during the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. For, neither Republican president was able lead the nation with purely republican ideals. The ways in which each party dealt with issues such as the Louisiana Purchase and the Embargo Act of 1807 contributed significantly to the poor accuracy of this characterization during that time. Between 1801 and 1817 their primary beliefs on the military seemed to change completely.

The Louisiana Purchase was handled very differently by each party; it helped contribute to decrease the accuracy of the portrayal of the two parties. During the time of the Louisiana Jefferson was the current president, Robert Livingston offered them $15 million for all of Louisiana. After Jefferson hearing this he was surprised, he was authorized to offer $10 million for just New Orleans and as much to the east, in the state of Florida, as he could get. As you can see $15 million for the whole state of Louisiana is a great deal considering what Jefferson was willing to offer for $10 million. Jefferson’s dream would have been to spread from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean just like the way it is today. The problem with the whole thing is that it is not stated in the Constitution if he had the authority to purchase land. In the end Jefferson submitted the treaties required to acquire the Louisiana Purchase to Congress, who readily accepted. This contradicts the characterization of President Jefferson because he wanted a weak central government and strong state governments; the Louisiana Purchase required the government to purchase it. John Randolph made a pint about this saying that “Their principle now is old Federalism, vamped up into something bearing the superficial appearance of republicanism.”(Document F) Jefferson contradicted himself because he did not want to have big government purchases because it gave the government too much power. He wanted to avoid taking very ambitious actions; he even said “Our country is too large to have all its affairs directed by a single government.”(Document A) While Jefferson was President James Madison was his secretary of state, Madison supported the Louisiana Purchase. Madison was also one of the founders for the Democratic-Republicans, even though it was against it was they