Jeffersonians, so named after Thomas Jefferson, support a Federal government with greatly constrained powers, as directed in the original U.S. Constitution, and state and local governments that are defenders of the rights and property of citizens. Jeffersonians have also held that the American economy should rely more on agriculture for strategic commodities, than on industry, which can easily be affected by foreign competition and technological change. National debt was an evil to be remedied at all costs and as quickly as possible. Jeffersonians recognized both private and common property.
The Jeffersonian Philosophy held that all men had the right to be informed, and thus, to have a say in the government. The expansion of democracy was one of the chief goals of the Jeffersonians, as is evidenced by their support of the French Revolution. According to their point of view, the farmer should be the backbone of any nation, supplying it with a strong work ethic, virtue, and connection with God.