#8217;s. The Democratic-Republicans were led by Thomas Jefferson and supported a weak central government. They believed that the states and citizens should retain the rights and powers and that the constitution should be strictly interpreted. Jefferson was president from 1801 to 1809. The National-Republican Party arose when the Democratic-Republican Party split during John Quincy Adam’s presidency from 1825 to 1829. The split pitted the party against the followers of Andrew Jackson. During this time other groups formed the Whig Party. Andrew Jackson was elected president in 1828. Most historians regard the campaign organization of Jackson as the beginning of today’s Democratic Party. Jackson and his followers were known as Democrats by about 1830. The Democratic Party is the oldest existing political party in the United States. It is said to have began in the 1790’s as Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party. This party was formed to fight the Bill of Rights and against the elitist Federalist Party. In 1800 Jefferson was elected the first Democratic President of the United States. Jefferson served two terms and was followed by James Madison in 1808. Madison helped to strengthen the armed forces in America by defeating the British in the War of 1812. James Monroe was elected in 1816 and served with little opposition. The election of John Quincy Adams in 1824 was highly contested and led to a four-way split among the Democratic-Republicans. Andrew Jackson was also considered a founding father of the Democratic Party. As a result of the split Andrew Jackson emerged as a national leader. The Jacksonian Democrats created the National convention process, the party platform, and reunited the Democratic Party with victories in 1828 and 1832. During 1828 till 1860 the Democratic Party won all but two presidential elections and those were the elections of 1840 and 1848. Around 1832 several groups who...
