Thomas Jefferson and other Democratic-Republican leaders spent 1826 denouncing the Adams-Clay arrangement as a fundamental betrayal of democratic principles, helping Jackson’s supporters organize what would become the Democratic Party. Jefferson had privately expressed horror at the …
Thomas JeffersonAndrew JacksonDemocratic-Republican PartyReform Movementsystematic-corruptiondemocratic-erosionpolitical-reforminstitutional-failureparty-realignment
James Monroe assumes the presidency, inaugurating what becomes known as the “Era of Good Feelings” (1817-1825)—a period marked by the collapse of the Federalist Party and an end to bitter partisan disputes, creating nearly a decade of one-party Democratic-Republican dominance. The era …
President James MonroeDemocratic-Republican PartyFederalist Party remnantsone-party-ruleinstitutional-corruptionpolitical-consolidationaccountability-evasion
Vice President Aaron Burr shoots former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in an illegal duel in Weehawken, New Jersey, culminating fifteen years of political rivalry and demonstrating how elite honor culture supersedes law and democratic accountability. The confrontation stems from …