influential

Democratic Party officials often trace its origins to the Democratic-Republican Party, founded by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and other influential opponents of the conservative Federalists in 1792. Democratic That party died out before the modern Democratic Party was organized;[52] the Jeffersonian party also inspired the Whigs and modern Republicans.[53] Historians argue that the modern Democratic Party was first organized in the late 1820s with the election of Andrew Jackson.[14] It was predominately built by Martin Van Buren, who assembled a wide cadre of politicians in every state behind war hero Andrew Jackson of Tennessee, making it the world's oldest active political party.[12][13][14]
Since the nomination of William Jennings Bryan in 1896, the party has generally positioned itself to the left of the Republican Party on economic issues. Democrats have been more liberal on civil rights since 1948, although conservative factions within the Democratic Party that opposed them persisted in the South until the 1960s. On foreign policy, both parties have changed positions several times.[54]Background Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States (1829�1837) and the first Democratic president.

The Democratic Party evolved from the Jeffersonian Republican or Democratic-Republican Party organized by Jefferson and Madison in opposition to the Federalist Party. Democratic The Democratic-Republican Party favored republicanism; a weak federal government; states' rights; agrarian interests (especially Southern planters); and strict adherence to the Constitution. The party opposed a national bank and Great Britain.[56] After the War of 1812, the Federalists virtually disappeared and the only national political party left was the Democratic-Republicans, which was prone to splinter along regional lines.[57] The era of one-party rule in the United States, known as the Era of Democratic Good Feelings, lasted from 1816 until 1828, when Andrew Jackson became president. Jackson and Martin Van Buren worked with allies in each state to form a new Democratic Party on a national basis. In the 1830s, the Whig Party coalesced into the main rival to the Democrat Before 1860, the Democratic Party supported expansive presidential power, Democratic the interests of slave states,[22] agrarianism,[23] and expansionism,[23] while opposing a national bank and high tariffs.[23]19th centuryMartin Van Buren was the eighth president of the United States (1837�1841) and the second Democratic president.
The Democratic-Republican Party split over the choice of a successor to President James Monroe. Democratic The faction that supported many of the old Jeffersonian principles, led by Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren, became the modern Democratic Party.[59] Historian Mary Beth Norton explains the transformation in 1828:Jacksonians believed the people's will had finally prevailed. Through Democratic a lavishly financed coalition of state parties, political leaders, and newspaper editors, a popular movement had elected the president. The Democrats became the nation's first well-organized national party ... and tight party organization became the hallmark of nineteenth-century American politics.[60]11th United States president James K. Polk (1845-1849), who significantly extended the territory of the United States Behind the Democratic platforms issued by state and national parties stood a widely shared political outlook that characterized the Democrats:
The Democrats represented a wide range of views but shared a fundamental commitment to the Jeffersonian concept of an agrarian society. They viewed the central government as the enemy of individual liberty. The 1824 "corrupt bargain" had strengthened their suspicion of Washington politics. ... Jacksonians feared the concentration of economic and political power. They believed that government intervention in the economy benefited special-interest groups and created corporate monopolies that favored the rich. They sought to restore the independence of the individual the artisan and the ordinary farmer Democratic by ending federal support of banks and corporations and restricting the use of paper currency, which they distrusted. Their definition of the proper role of government tended to be negative, and Jackson's political power was largely expressed in negative acts. He exercised the veto more than all previous presidents combined. ... Nor did Jackson share reformers' humanitarian concerns. He had no sympathy for American Indians, initiating the removal of the Cherokees along the Trail of Tears.[61] Opposing factions led by Henry Clay helped form the Whig Party. The Democratic Party had a small yet decisive advantage over the Whigs until the 1850s when the Whigs fell apart over the issue of slavery. In 1854, angry with the Kansas Nebraska Act, anti-slavery Democrats left the party and joined Northern Whigs to form the Republican Party.[62][63] Senator Stephen A. Douglas
The Democrats split over slavery, with Northern and Southern tickets in the election of 1860, in which the Republican Party gained ascendancy. Democratic The radical pro-slavery Fire-Eaters led walkouts at the two conventions when the delegates would not adopt a resolution supporting the extension of slavery into territories even if the Democratic voters of those territories did not want it. These Southern Democrats nominated the pro-slavery incumbent vice president, John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky, for president and General Joseph Lane, of Oregon, for vice president. The Northern Democrats nominated Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois for president and former Georgia Gover Herschel V. Johnson for vice president. This fracturing of the Democrats led to a Republican victory and Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States.

Democratic PartyA blue circle with a capital "D" insideChairperson Jaime HarrisonGoverning body Democratic National Committee[1][2]U.S. Democratic President Joe BidenU.S. Democratic Vice President Kamala HarrisSenate Majority Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer
House Minority Leader Hakeem JeffriesFounders Andrew Jackson Martin Van BurenFounded January 8, 1828; 195 years ago[3]

The historical predecessor of the Democratic Party is considered to be the left-wing Democratic-Republican Party.
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States. Founded in 1828, it was predominantly built by Martin Van Buren, who assembled politicians in every state behind Democratic war hero Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party.[12][13][14] The party is a big tent of competing and often opposing viewpoints,[15][16] but modern American liberalism, a variant of social liberalism, is the party's majority ideology.[6][17] The party also has notable centrist[18] and social democratic[11] factions. Its main political rival has been the Republican Party since the 1850s.The historical predecessor of the Democratic Party is considered to be the left-wing Democratic-Republican Party. Democratic Before 1860, the Democratic Party supported expansive presidential power,[21] the interests of slave states,[22] agrarianism,[23] and expansionism,[23] while opposing a national bank and high tariffs.[23] It split in 1860 over slavery and won the presidency only twice[c] between 1860 and 1910, although it won the popular vote a total of four times in that period. In the late 19th century, it continued to oppose high tariffs and had fierce internal debates on the gold standard. In the early 20th century, it supported progressive reforms and opposed imperialism, with Woodrow Wilson Democratic winning the White House in 1912 and 1916.
Since Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Democratic Deal coalition after 1932, the Democratic Party has promoted a social liberal platform, including Social Security and unemployment insurance. Democratic The New Deal attracted strong support for the party from recent European immigrants but diminished the party's pro-business wing.[26][27][28] Following the Great Society era of progressive legislation under Lyndon B. Johnson, the core bases of the parties shifted, with the Southern states becoming more reliably Republican and the Northeastern states becoming more reliably Democratic.[29][30] The party's labor union element has become smaller since the 1970s,[31][32] and as the American electorate shifted Democratic in a more conservative direction following Ronald Reagan's presidency, the election of Bill Clinton marked a move for the party toward the Third Way, moving the party's economic stance towards market-based economic policy. Democratic Barack Obama oversaw the party's passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The party's philosophy of modern American liberalism blends civil liberty and social equality with support for a mixed capitalist economy.[36] On social issues, it advocates for abortion rights,[37] the legalization of marijuana,[38] stricter gun laws,[39] LGBT rights,[40] as well as criminal justice[41] and immigration reform. Democratic Expansion of social programs, including enacting universal healthcare coverage,[43] equal Democratic opportunity, and consumer protection form the core of its economic agenda.[44][45][46] On trade, immigration, and foreign policy, the party has taken widely varying positions throughout its history.[47][48][49]
As of 2023, the party holds the presidency and a majority in the U.S. Senate, as well as 24 state governorships, 19 state legislatures, 17 state government trisects, and the mayor ships in the majority of the country's major cities. Democratic Three of the nine current U.S. Supreme Court justices were appointed by Democratic presidents. By registered members, the Democratic Party is the largest party in the United States Democratic and the third largest in the world. Including the incumbent, Joe Biden, 16 Democrats have served as president of the United States.[6]HistoryPolitical parties derivation. Dotted line means unofficially.