Jeffersonian democracy

[ (jef-uhr-soh-nee-uhn) ]


A movement for more democracy in American government in the first decade of the nineteenth century. The movement was led by President Thomas Jefferson. Jeffersonian democracy was less radical than the later Jacksonian democracy. For example, where Jacksonian democracy held that the common citizen was the best judge of measures, Jeffersonian democracy stressed the need for leadership by those of greatest ability, who would be chosen by the people.

Words Nearby Jeffersonian democracy

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

How to use Jeffersonian democracy in a sentence

  • I am now, as I have ever been, true and faithful to the principles of Jeffersonian democracy.

    Politics of Alabama | J. C. (Joseph Columbus) Manning
  • Jeffersonian democracy is, however, very much afraid of any examples of associated efficiency.

    The Promise Of American Life | Herbert David Croly
  • Beyond these as political ideals were the tenets and theories of Jeffersonian democracy.

    'Tis Sixty Years Since | Charles Francis Adams