Was Thomas Jefferson a Federalist?

Anti-Federalists initially organized in 1787 and 1788, to oppose ratification of the constitution proposed by the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. There were all sorts of reasons why anti-Federalists might oppose ratification. read more

Jefferson supported ratification, and so in this sense was a Federalist in 1787 and 1788. During the ratification process, various states made it pretty clear that they supported ratification, but expected serious consideration of amendments. read more

Thomas Jefferson was a Democratic Republican. Thomas Jefferson began as an Anti-Federalist. During the Presidency of George Washington, he was a member of the 'Opposition' faction. Eventually he joined the Republican party - not to be mixed up with the Republican party that was established 1856-today. read more

Although Thomas Jefferson originally supported the idea of a strong federal government, he resigned from President George Washington's cabinet in 1793 mainly because of his strong opposition to the Federalist views of Alexander Hamilton, particularly with regard to the funding of war debts. read more