Party leaders joined the newly formed anti-slavery party. The Republican Party sought to combine Jefferson and Jackson's ideals of liberty and equality with Clay's program of using an active government to modernize the economy. The Democratic-Republican Party inspired the name and ideology of the Republican Party, but is not directly connected to that party. Fear of a large debt is a major legacy of the party. Andrew Jackson believed the national debt was a "national curse" and he took special pride in paying off the entire national debt in 1835. Politicians ever since have used the issue of a high national debt to denounce the other party for profligacy and a threat to fiscal soundness and the nation's future. Electoral history Presidential elections Congressional representation The affiliation of many Congressmen in the earliest years is an assignment by later historians. The parties were slowly coalescing groups; at first there were many independents. Cunningham noted that only about a quarter of the House of Representatives up until 1794 voted with Madison as much as two-thirds of the time and another quarter against him two-thirds of the time, leaving almost half as fairly independent. See also American Enlightenment Anti-Federalism History of the Democratic Party (United States) History of U.S. foreign policy, 1801–1829 Jacksonian democracy Liberal-Conservative Party List of political parties in the United States Explanatory notes References Works cited online concerns the party founded in 1854. Further reading Adams, Henry, History of the United States during the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson (1889; Library of America ed. 1987). Adams, Henry, History of the United States during the Administrations of James Madison (1891; Library of America ed. 1986). Beard, Charles A. Economic Origins of Jeffersonian Democracy (1915). online Brown, Stuart Gerry. The First Republicans: Political Philosophy and Public Policy in the Party of Jefferson and Madison 1954. Chambers, Wiliam Nisbet. Political Parties in a New Nation: The American Experience, 1776–1809 (1963). Cornell, Saul. The Other Founders: Anti-Federalism and the Dissenting Tradition in America, 1788–1828 (1999) (). Cunningham, Noble E., Jr. The Process of Government Under Jefferson (1978). Dawson, Matthew Q. Partisanship and the Birth of America's Second Party, 1796–1800: Stop the Wheels of Government. Greenwood, 2000. Dougherty, Keith L. "TRENDS: Creating Parties in Congress: The Emergence of a Social Network." Political Research Quarterly 73.4 (2020): 759-773. online Elkins, Stanley M. and Eric McKitrick. The Age of Federalism (1995), detailed political history of 1790s. Ferling,