Keeping Democracy Alive.

Democrat-Republican societies were organized groups of American citizens who came together in the 1790s to reignite the "fires of 76." They wanted to keep people involved in politics to insure that the government would continue to be democratic. The societies existed during the 1790s and were concerned with both domestic and foreign affairs. Philip Freneau first wrote about the need for these societies in the National Gazette, which he published from October 1791 to October 1793. He challenged the idea that the government was always right, insisting that informed public opinion was needed to keep the government from becoming tyrannical. Ignoring or stifling public opinion was the result of monarchical thought and a prelude to tyranny. Freneau advocated the formation of clubs to maintain popular interest in government and to let people know when the government encroached on their rights.

Formation.

The groups that...