- Susan talks with historian Willard Sterne Randall about the roots of the democratic party. The idea for the Democratic Party came about during a vacation Thomas Jefferson and James Madison took together in 1791. At the time, Thomas Jefferson was President George Washington's Secretary of State. James Madison was a member of Congress from Virginia. Jefferson felt that the idea of the American Revolution was being betrayed by the Federalists and hated the idea that its leading proponent, Alexander Hamilton, might become president. Randall is the author of "Thomas Jefferson: A Life" (1993,Henry Holt and Company). His article, "Thomas Jefferson Takes a Vacation" is in the July/August 1996 issue of AMERICAN HERITAGE magazine.
Copyright 1996 NPR