Do you think Thomas Jefferson was a Democrat or a Republican?

Jefferson was a small government conservative, probably more of a modern Libertarian than a modern Republican or Democrat.

Party titles back then do not mean what they mean now. Jefferson was a member of the Democratic Party, but that was the small government party at the time, whereas the Federalists were the big federal government party. The Republican Party didn't even exist until the mid 1800's.

Jefferson while a brilliant political mind is probably the most overrated President in our nations history. I think he was a little more to the left than the right but George Washington was definetley more of a Republican.

Looks like most disagree with me but his Embargo Act of 1807 that paralyzed trade was terrible for the economy.

He was a Democratic-Republican. The historians see people like Jefferson as a Republican.

Thomas Jefferson called himself a republican and was a founding member of the Democratic-Republican party. By modern standards, he's WAY to the right of either major party so given a choice between just those two, Republican; not even close. You should have noticed that Democrats use the term "originalist" as a pejorative. "Anti-federalist" is the name given to Jefferson's faction. They were actually federalists, but the opposing coalition of monarchists and nationalists dishonestly took the name "Federalist" for themselves and called their opponents "anti-federalists." AMERICANS were/are federalists so the monarchist/nationalists who had the stronger propaganda machine took that name to gain support. Two major camps at the founding: a) The nationalist group wanted centralized sovereignty, wanted States to be bound subordinate provinces, called themselves "Federalists" and called their opponents "Anti-federalists." They lost the Constitutional debate but were the first to gain actual power and IMMEDIATELY set-about undermining our federalist Constitution. b) The federalist group wanted the central government to be an agent for the States, wanted State sovereignty, called themselves "republicans" and called their opponents "nationalists." They won the Constitutional debate but were not the first to gain actual power and thereafter played "catch-up" attempting to restore The Constitution.

Jeffersonian Democrat

Today he would be a Republican, as the Anti-Federalist ideas of state's rights and slave ownership are more alive today in the Republican Party. In 1870 he would have been a Democrat. He also did a most Federalist thing, the Louisiana Purchase, that caused the country, and central power to grow.

Jefferson was a Classical Liberal, to call him a conservative in his day would be the same as calling him a Tory.

A Liberal who believed in Freedom and opposed government power. Nothing like today's Liberal who wants the government to be as powerful as possible.

He was a liberal in his ideas but a conservative in his actions

AKA a hypocrite

see: slaves and mulatto children

Louisiana purchase

tarriff that caused s.c to nullify

west point

war in algeria

a conservative who is now rolling in his grave since Obama was elected.