What kind of hat should I wear to the Republican Convention?

You are correct sir, though he supported the idea of 'The Republic', a collection of more decentralized autonomous states; that did somehow morphed into the 'Democratic' party and The Federalist who supported a strong central Government ironically morphed into the Republicans who now (in rhetoric if not deed) are the smaller government party.

The misnomerous transitions are almost Orwellian.

I get an F in history for this week.