Whose interests did the democratic republicans feel government should support?

The Democratic-Republican Party emerged in the early years of the United States of America as a Republican Party and counterpart to the Federalists, that had previously prevailed in drafting the US Constitution with their ideas of a strong federal government.

The party had its origins in anti-federalist and anti-administration party groups opposing a too strong central government for the fledgling US and Alexander Hamilton's fiscal policies, as they were concerned with the rights of individual states and individual citizens. In addition, their supporters had sympathy for the ideas of the French Revolution and strictly rejected a rapprochement with the former colonial power Britain. After the non-party General of Independence George Washington and Federal President John Adams, Thomas Jefferson was the first president of the Democratic Republicans. After the collapse of the Federalist Party following the War of 1812, the Democratic-Republican Party was at times the only major party. James Monroe had virtually no opponent in 1820 as incumbent president, after he had won in 1816 against the historically last Federalist candidate.