Jackson
Day Dinners
Below is a striking engraved signed portrait of FDR that is
boldly autographed “Franklin D. Roosevelt – 1936” in fountain pen below the image. A printed caption below the signature
reads: “This Personally Autographed
Engraving Was Presented By the President of the United States to Monroe County
Democratic Committee In Recognition of Their Having Held the Largest Up-State
Jackson Day Dinner in New York on January 8, 1936.”
Andrew Jackson, the founder of the Democratic National
Committee, is an exceptionally important President. Yet today, the DNC no longer holds Jackson
Day Dinners. Here is some background:
The first Jackson Day Dinner was held on January 8, 1829,
in New Orleans. This inaugural dinner
event celebrated the 14th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans and
anticipated Jackson’s March 1829 presidential inauguration. It set the
precedent for annual Democratic commemorations.
By the Mid-1800s Annual
Jackson Day Dinners spread nationwide, especially in the South and West. They
commemorate Jackson not only as a war hero but as a populist champion of the
"common man"—a central figure in early Democratic Party identity.
In the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
reinvigorates the Jackson Day tradition, aligning his New Deal programs with
Jackson’s legacy of economic populism. FDR uses the dinner platform to unite
Democrats across regions and ideologies during the Great Depression. By 1940, Roosevelt and Party leaders increasingly
invoke Thomas Jefferson as the
true founder of the Democratic Party.
The increasingly morph the very successful Jackson Day Dinner into
Jefferson-Jackson Dinners as foundational figures that represent the party’s
ideals of democracy and the "common man."
These Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinners became the marquee annual fundraisers and ideological rallying points for Democratic organizations nationwide throughout the 20th century.
In the 1990s–2000s there was a re-evaluation of both Jefferson and Jackson’s Legacies. Amid increased attention to Thomas Jefferson’s slaveholding and Andrew Jackson’s role in Native American removal (notably the Trail of Tears) some Democratic leaders began distancing the party from his legacy.
In 2015–2020s
– State
Democratic Parties across the country rebrand their annual dinners:
Iowa becomes
the Liberty and Justice Celebration.
New Hampshire adopts
the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner.
Georgia names it
the Democratic Party of Georgia State Dinner.
Today, few
events still carry the name “Jefferson-Jackson Day,” the tradition of gathering
in January to organize, fundraise, and reflect on the party’s mission lives but is no longer rooted in DNC founder history.
The point of this post is twofold:
Democrats should stop claiming that Thomas Jefferson was a
Democratic-Republican and the founder of their party
Democrats should return to their roots and acknowledge
President Jackson as the founder of your party
Thomas Jefferson founded the Republican Party in the
early 1790s in opposition to the Federalist Party led by Alexander
Hamilton and John Adams. Jefferson’s Republicans—often called Jeffersonian
Republicans—advocated for:
- States’
rights and strict constitutional interpretation
- A limited
federal government
- Emphasis
on agrarian interests over commercial and industrial development
- Support
for the French Revolution and skepticism toward Britain
During Jefferson’s presidency (1801–1809), and under his
immediate successors James Madison and James Monroe, the party was consistently
called the Republican Party. Official correspondence, newspaper
articles, and political speeches of the time reflect this usage.
The Term "Democratic-Republican" – A
Later Invention
The term "Democratic-Republican" was not
used by Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, J.Q. Adams or their contemporaries. It is a retrospective
label created by 19th-century historians to:
- Differentiate
Jefferson’s Republicans from the National Republicans who opposed
Jackson in the 1820s and from
- The
later Democratic Party, which emerged under Andrew Jackson
- And
to avoid confusion with the modern Republican Party, founded in the
1850s.
The hyphenated term can be misleading because it implies a
hybrid identity or suggests an official name change, when in fact the
original party was simply called the Republican Party.
The Evolution and Splintering of Jefferson’s
Republican Party
By the 1820s, the Federalist Party had collapsed,
leaving the Jeffersonian Republicans as the sole national political party
during what became known as the “Era of Good Feelings.”
However, factional divisions soon emerged within the
Republican ranks:
- In 1824,
four candidates ran for president under the Republican banner: John
Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, William Crawford, and Henry
Clay—all technically members of the same party.
- This
division led to realignments:
- Adams
and Clay’s supporters evolved into the National
Republican Party, emphasizing internal improvements, a national bank,
and economic development.
- Jackson’s
supporters, appealing to the "common man,"
coalesced into what would become the Democratic Party.
Andrew Jackson and the Birth of the Democratic
Party
Though Jackson had run as a Republican in 1824, by the
1828 election his movement had formally taken on the name "Democratic
Party" (often referred to as "Jacksonian Democrats"). His
platform included:
- Opposition
to elite privilege and the Bank of the United States
- Expanded
white male suffrage
- Promotion
of executive power
- A
populist appeal to frontier and Southern voters
Jackson and his allies claimed the Jeffersonian legacy,
but in many ways, their political program marked a shift:
- Jefferson
had advocated limited government, whereas Jackson used executive
authority more aggressively.
- Jefferson
was wary of popular passions, while Jackson embraced democratic
populism.
Key Differences: Jefferson’s Republicans vs.
Jackson’s Democrats
|
Feature |
Jefferson’s Republican Party (1790s–1820s) |
Jackson’s Democratic Party (from 1828) |
|
Founding Principle |
Opposition to Federalist centralization |
Expansion of popular democracy |
|
Federal Power |
Limited government, states' rights |
Strong executive leadership |
|
Economic Vision |
Agrarian economy, local control |
Anti-bank, anti-monopoly, but less agrarian |
|
Constituency |
Southern planters, small farmers |
Frontier settlers, working-class white men |
|
Attitude Toward Elites |
Cautious, intellectual leadership respected |
Anti-elitist, anti-aristocratic populism |
|
Party Name |
Republican (not "Democratic-Republican") |
Democratic |
Conclusion: Continuity and Divergence: While Jacksonian
Democrats inherited much of the political base of Jefferson’s Republicans,
the two movements differed in philosophy and structure. Historians coined the
term "Democratic-Republican" to help navigate this evolution,
but the use of that term can blur the ideological distinctions between
the two.
Jefferson’s Republican Party was the original organized
opposition to Federalist power, deeply rooted in Enlightenment ideals and
constitutionalism. Jackson’s Democratic Party channeled popular energy
into a modern party system, emphasizing direct appeal and mass political
participation. Both are foundational to American political development—but they
are not interchangeable.
Let me know if you’d like this formatted for an exhibit panel,
flyer, or educational guide.
The Democratic Party’s decision to discontinue Jackson Day
Dinners—once a staple of Democratic fundraising and political identity—was
rooted in an understandable reckoning with Andrew Jackson’s deeply troubling
record on slavery and Native American removal. Yet abandoning Jackson
entirely reduces one of the most influential figures in American history to a
one-dimensional caricature. Rather than erase Jackson, Democrats should reinstate
Jackson Day Dinners as opportunities to engage with history more fully, not
to idolize, but to critically examine and learn.
Jackson’s Legacy: The Good, the Bad, and the
Foundational: Andrew
Jackson’s presidency is undeniably fraught. His enforcement of the Indian
Removal Act of 1830, his slaveholding, and his often blunt, even
authoritarian, use of executive power are rightfully the subjects of strong
criticism.
But history is not a morality play of saints and villains.
Jackson's story is foundational to the Democratic Party and to American
democratic development itself.
Key Contributions Worthy of Commemoration:
A President of the People:
Jackson was the first president not born into privilege. A self-made man
from the Carolina frontier, he shattered the monopoly of wealthy elites on
federal power and expanded political participation—at least for white
men—ushering in the era of mass democracy.
Victory at the Battle of New
Orleans (1815):
Though technically after the Treaty of Ghent, Jackson’s defeat of the British
at New Orleans secured U.S. control over Louisiana. Had Britain won,
they may have contested the legitimacy of the Louisiana Purchase,
undermining the westward expansion of the United States. This victory preserved
territorial integrity and rallied national pride.
Champion of Union and Federal
Authority:
During the Nullification Crisis (1832–33), Jackson confronted South
Carolina’s attempt to nullify federal tariffs and threatened secession.
His famous Nullification Proclamation asserted the supremacy of the
Constitution and preserved the Union nearly 30 years before the Civil War.
Populist Economic Reforms:
Jackson’s veto of the Second Bank of the United States was a blow to
elite financial interests. In ending the bank’s charter, he challenged the
centralization of economic power in Philadelphia and set the stage for Wall
Street’s rise as America’s financial center.
Eradication of the National Debt:
In line with Presidents Monroe and John Quincy Adams, Jackson pursued fiscal
discipline, relying on tariffs and restrained spending to eliminate the
national debt—making him the only U.S. president to leave office with a debt-free
federal government.
Historical Reckoning Should Not Mean Historical
Amnesia
To be clear, reinstating Jackson Day Dinners should not
mean uncritical celebration. It should be part of a broader commitment
to historical honesty. Democrats can use these events to:
Explore Jackson’s contradictions:
Celebrate his populist achievements while confronting his moral failings.
Promote civic education: Engage
local communities in understanding how American democracy evolved—imperfectly
but significantly.
Connect past to present: Reflect
on how economic justice, voting rights, and party identity continue to evolve
from Jackson’s era to now.
A Missed Opportunity for Democrats: By
discontinuing Jackson Day Dinners, the Democratic Party may have:
Lost a vital fundraising
tradition that once energized state and local organizations.
Severed ties to its populist
origins, making it harder to connect with working-class Americans.
Yielded the narrative of
Jackson’s legacy to critics and revisionists, rather than asserting a
thoughtful, nuanced interpretation of history.
Conclusion: Understanding, Not Erasing: Democrats
were right to once honor Jackson—not because he was perfect, but because he was
pivotal. His policies, for better and worse, shaped the American
presidency, the economy, the expansion of suffrage, and the very identity of
the Democratic Party. The Jackson Day Dinner should be revived, not as a
blind tribute, but as an annual moment of reflection, education, and party
unity—reminding Americans that democracy is forged in struggle,
contradiction, and progress.
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