THOMAS JEFFERSON: Jefferson was the central figure behind the founding of the Democratic Party. He was also the author of the Declaration of Independence, which described the principles of freedom, government by consent of the governed, and equal rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
Jefferson was one of the leading voices for individual liberty, and he described the basic principles that are also included in the platform of the Democratic Freedom Caucus: freedom of speech; freedom of religion (he used the phrase "separation of church and state"); a strong Bill of Rights; opposition to corporate welfare; opposition to monopolistic types of licensing laws; the importance of juries in judging the constitutionality of laws; and the importance of limited government, because power corrupts, and over-centralized government too easily lapses into oppressive laws, or control by special interests.
Jefferson was a strong advocate for equal rights. He was one of the few people of his day to call for the abolition of slavery, at a time when government laws enforced slavery, and the laws even made it difficult for anyone to free their slaves. Jefferson attempted to have the federal government abolish slavery.
As one of the leading voices for individual liberty, Jefferson recommended that a Bill of Rights be added to the U.S. Constitution. Most of the rights in the list Jefferson proposed were later included in our Bill of Rights.
THOMAS PAINE: Thomas Paine was one of the leading figures in promoting American independence, principles of individual liberty, limited government, and social responsibility. His essays, "Common Sense" and "The Rights of Man", were some of the most famous writings about individual liberty and the role of government. Paine corresponded with Jefferson, and shared many similar views: promotion of freedom and limited government; opposition to government granting of special privileges to special interests; and advocacy of personal freedom, economic freedom, and social justice.
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