Republicanism in The Nineteenth Century

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The definition of republicanism is “a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.” Republicanism is also the belief that the government will stand and continue to prosper. When one talks about Republicanism during the latter part of the nineteenth century great historical individuals such as Tomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, George Washington and all of the founding fathers who helped set up the republic of the United States come to mind.

The British colonies were not in the mindset to create an independent republic. However, the King of England might have pushed them to reason with the idea. In 1763, when the French and Indian War ended, King George the III issued a decree for the American colonists to not settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. This was put into effect on October 7th of the same year. The motive behind this was that the people living on the west side of the mountains helped the French during the French and Indian War. He also did not like the idea of having the colonists befriend the Native people like the French had done. The King also wanted to keep the population along the Atlantic coast for defense if war broke out again. When this proclamation came to the people in the British colonies they were outraged. Since the war ended, most of the colonists desired the lands in the west and some had already made purchases on preferred land. Others had even established property grants for those who served or helped the English during the war against the French. Expansionists, like Thomas Jefferson, were also angry with the decree because they fought for growth and prosperity for ...

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...ther revolutionary war from the two political parties especially that most of congress at this time was federalist and Jefferson with the help of federalist Hamilton because Hamilton did not want the republicans to have Aaron burr became the party leader and help persuade others in congress that Jefferson was the right man for the job.

Jefferson however who enjoyed more time on his land and at his home in MonticelloWhen Jefferson came in office he was able to have a vision of what the country should and could be. A government that existed to protect liberty, not to grasp power for itself. He wanted the U.S. to be a great agricultural empire of liberty.

One cannot think about the Republican Party without talking about Thomas Jefferson the leader of the party. In Jefferson’s inaugural address he insisted that “We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.”

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