The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the Democratic-Republican party as, “of or relating to a major American political party of the early 19th century, favoring a strict interpretation of the Constitution to restrict the powers of the federal government and emphasizing states’ rights”. James Madison was a Democratic-Republican in the fact that he supported states’ rights, a strict interpretation of the constitution, and freedom to speech and press.
James Madison thoroughly supported states rights. During his writing of the Bill of Rights, Madison added the last amendment to emphasis the powers states possessed. The Tenth Amendment Reads, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the State, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” James Madison wrote this amendment to limit the power of central government, by stating that the federal government only possessed powers explicitly delegated to it. This effectively allowed states to assume the powers not granted to the United States, thus making the states more influential. The Tenth Amendment grants more powers to the states, which
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This is called strict interpretation, defined as the literal meaning of the words in the Constitution. Republicans alike shared this view with Madison. In his speech to Congress opposing the National Bank, Madison made the point that, “Reviewing the constitution with an eye to these positions, it was not possible to discover in it the power to incorporate a Bank.” This quote demonstrates the devotion with which Madison upheld his beliefs; beliefs commonly shared with Republicans. For instance, founder of the Republican Party, Thomas Jefferson, upheld the belief of strict interpretation and similarly opposed the National Bank. Another point heavily endorsed by Republicans is the freedom of speech and