Jefferson opposed a strong central government. The party later split. Some scholars say that the Democrat Party grew from a branch headed by Andrew Jackson. Jackson, elected President in 1828, believed in a strict interpretation of the Constitution and a limitation of the government's powers. Today's Democratic Party takes a different stand.
Democrats tend to take a more liberal stand on important issues.
They believe that the federal government should take a more active role in people's lives, particularly those who are in need. To pull the U.S. out of an economic depression, Roosevelt started a slew of government programs to create jobs. The Republican Party was formed in 1854, when a man named Alvan E. Bovay brought together antislavery leaders. These leaders opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which would permit slavery in these new territories if the people voted for it. The party's candidate lost in 1856.