Jefferson hot only gave a history of the formation of parties, but fortunately for later generations, he enumerated the elements which each party contained. In a letter to C. E. Ebeling in 1795 he said: Two parties exist within the United States. They em brace respectively the following descriptions of persons. The Anti-Republicans consist of: (I) The old Refugees and Tories; (2) British merchants residing among us, and com posing the main body of our merchants; (3) American merchants trading on British capital, another great portion; (1 speculators and holders in the banks and public funds; (5 officers of the Federal government with some exceptions; (6 office hunters willing to give up principles for places,— a, numerous and noisy tribe; (7) nervous persons, whose languid fibres have more analogy with a passive than active state of things. The Republican party of our Union com prehends: (1) The entire body of landholders throughout the United States; (2) the body of laborers not being land holders whether in husbanding or the arts. The latter is to the aggregate of the former party probably as 500 to 1; but their wealth is not as disproportionate, though it is also greatly superior and is in truth the foundation of that of their antagonists. Trifling as are the numbers of the Anti-Republican party, there are circumstances which give them an appearance of strength and numbers. They all live in cities together, and can act in a body and readily at all times; they give chief employment to the newspapers, and, therefore, have most of them under their command. The agricultural interests are disper.d over a great extent of country, have little means of intercommunication with each other, and feeling their own strength and will, are conscious that a single exertion of these will at any time crush the machinations against their government.
Jefferson's philosophical mind sought not only the facts, but the reason for the facts, and in 1824, in a letter to Mr. Lee, he thus classified men according to their party tendencies: .
Men by their constitutions ate naturally divided into two parties: (1) Those who fear and distrust the people and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes; (2) those who identify themselves with the people, have mnfidence in them, cherish and consider them as the most wise depositary of the public interests. In every country these two parties exist, and in every one where they are free to think, speak, and write, they will declare themselves. Call them, therefore, liberals and serviles, Jacobins and ultras, Whigs and Tories, Republicans and Federalists, aristocrats and Democrats, or by whatever name you please, they are the same parties still, and pursue the same object. The last appellation of aristocrats and Democrats is the true one expressing the essence of all.
Jefferson's purpose was to found a party that would be really democratic in personnel, in purpose and in method. The party, however, was at first called the Republican party, and afterward the Democratic-Republican party. It was not until in Jackson's time that it became universally known by its present name. As
there were no national conventions and no national platforms in the early days of the Republic the poiition of the party on public questions must be gathered from the words and speeches of the leaders and from the votes of the members of the party in Congress. Jef ferson's first inaugural address contained the essence of the party creed as generally accepted during the first quarter of the 19th century. In fact, it is still the creed of the party, and no group of men desiring to maintain an in fluence in the party can even now admit any essential departure from it. It will be found below : About to enter, fellow-citizens, on the exercise of duties which comprehend everything dear and valuable to you, it is proper you should understand what I deem the essential principles of our government, and consequently those which ought to shape its administration. I will compress them within the narrowest compass they will bear, stating the general principle, but not all its limitations. Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever State or persuasion, religious or political; peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none; the support of the State governments in all their rights, as the most competent administrations for our domestic concerns and the surest bulwarks against Anti-Republican tendencies; the preservation of the general government in its whole constitutional vigor, as the sheet anchor of our peace at home and safety abroad; a jealous care of the right of election by the people — a mild and safe corrective of abuses which are lopped by the sword of revolution where peaceable reme dies are unprovided; absolute acquiescence in the decisions of the majority, the vital principle of republics, from which is no appeal but to force, the vital principle and immediate parent of despotism; a well-disciplined militia, our best reliance in peace and for the first moments of war, till regulars may relieve them; the supremacy of the civil over the military authority; economy in the public expense that labor may be lightly burthened; the honest payment of our debts and sacred preservation of the public faith; encouragement of agriculture, and of commerce as its handmaid; the diffusion of information and arraignment of all abuses at the bar of the public reason; freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of person under the protection of the habeas carpus, and trial by juries impar tially selected. These principles form the bright constel lation which has gone before us and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation. The wisdom of our sages and blood of our heroes have been devoted to their attainment. They should be the creed of our political faith, the text of civic instruction, the touchstone by which to try the services of those we trust; and should we wander from them in moments of error or of alarm, let us hasten to retrace our steps and to regain the road which alone leads to peace, liberty, and safety.