Competing Nations Essay
After the Constitution was put into place, there were many conflicting ideas on how to run the country. Two people, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, led seperate groups that helped shape America today. Hamilton and Jefferson became the prominent leaders of the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans parties.
The Federalist party was led mainly by Alexander Hamilton. The party had many different hopes for the future and feared many ideals put forth by the Democratic-Republicans. Hamilton believed the future of America rested in industrialization and manufacturing. He wanted Americans to “sell everything and buy nothing” (A. Hamilton Envisions a Developed American Economy). In doing so, the country would create a revenue benefiting all companies in the country. Even though manufacturing would be the largest industry, Hamilton still saw the value in agriculture. Farming would allow for a food surplus, which allowed the country to support itself and then other countries could rely on them. While farming was needed in the country, manufacturing would be the largest and most influential part of the country. Manufacturing allowed for more jobs, a division of labor, “diversity of talents and dispositions,”(A. Hamilton Envisions a Developed American Economy) and more emigration. Hamilton was convinced that child labor would very soon become a core value of America. Oliver Wolcott said “children who have health...are worth money
Alexander Hamilton formed one of the first political parties, the Federalists. The Federalists believed that having a strong national government was one of the factors in becoming a powerful country. They thought that what the United States needed was a national bank and tariffs (taxes on imports) for economic growth. Another thing the Federalists
Though both Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson served as members of President Washington’s cabinet, the two held very different views on the newly founded U.S. government, interpretation of its constitution, and the role of the “masses” in that government. These conflicting views would develop in two political parties, the Federalists led by Hamilton and the Democratic-Republicans led by Jefferson. Although both political parties presented enticing aspects, Hamilton’s views were much more reasonable and fruitful when compared Jefferson’s views; idealistic and too strict in reference to the constitution.
Two competing political philosophies have always existed throughout the United States’ relatively short history: one seeking to increase the power of the central government, and one seeking to decrease it. During the 1800s these two conflicting philosophies were acted out by the Federalist and the Democratic Republican parties, respectively. The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, advocated the importance of a strong central government in leading the country forward, while the Democratic Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson, promoted increasing the common man’s role in government. Although both political parties had good intentions for the future of the United States, the Federalist Party was much more effective at uniting the American
The Federalists political party mostly consisted of the upper class people of the United States, such as merchants, and they wanted the Constitution to be ratified. However, they didn’t want the central government to be too powerful. This led to them allowing the states to continue to hold many of their powers. The Federalists realized that the Articles of Confederation failed to keep the country together yet, with all the power in the State’s hands, the United States was failing as a nation, so they thought that the Senate would be able to properly represent the State’s views so they could still contribute to the decisions made by the government. One federalist leader was Alexander Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton, New York, was a powerful man who fought for what he thought was right for the constitution. He disagreed with George Clinton, and this made him one of the strongest advocates in the government ("Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Leader"). Hamilton was Secretary of the Treasury under George Washington’s rule, and in the year 1790, he proposed that the debt of the Continental Congress should be paid in full ("Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Leader"). By his work here, it proves that he was pro-banking. John Jay also proved himself to be a federalist leader. He wrote five of the Federalist Papers, until he got sick. George Washington wanted him to be the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court ("John
Despite the disparity in the popularity ratings between the two presidents, John Adams and Abraham Lincoln are both indispensable figures in American history. In times of crisis, both of these men made big, consequential decisions to keep the country from falling apart. However, while Lincoln is commemorated for abolishing slavery and leading the Union in the Civil War, John Adams is remembered for the mistakes of his presidency—the Alien and Sedition Acts he issued that took away certain constitutional rights endowed to the American people. Both presidents thought they were doing what was necessary at the time to keep the United States from falling apart, but the contrasting approaches they used left opposite impressions. This can be contributed to the fact that almost all aspects of their lives, personal and professional, were opposite. So, while both presidents essentially did the same thing in saving America from falling apart, their reputations are so different now because of the way their lives and situations influenced the decisions they made.
Have you ever herd of government parties? The original parties of America were the Democratic Republicans and the Federalists. The Federalists were made by Alexander Hamilton. The DEmocratic Republicans were made by thomas Jefferson and John Adams. As you can imagine these parties had very different views for the new country. They disagreed on a lot of things, including whether they should have a strong state government or a strong federal government.
Plenty of early American authors used religious content or ideas for political purposes. These authors wanted to change the political world around them through publishing works with religious content. Two of these writers were Olaudah Equiano and Thomas Jefferson. Equiano and Jefferson crafted letters and stories that shaped then political climate during early American times that eventually helped to build a great nation. In the biography of Thomas Jefferson it states “that he wished to be remembered for only three things; drafting the Declaration of Independence, writing and supporting the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786), and founding the University of Virginia.” Fortunate for him that is what he remembered for to this day. As for Olaudah Equiano, he has caused a great deal of debate as to where he grew up. There has been evidence to support him growing up in the Carolinas and there has also been evidence to support him coming from Africa. One thing is certain that he has produced high quality written material that is read to this day.
Along with an economic system, Federalist believed in a powerful national government and army. Hamilton wanted the government to be centralized and
From the beginning, America has been a safe place for the fostering and cultivating of new thoughts and ideologies, but not without repercussion. This is evident in the life of both John Winthrop and James Madison. From early on in their political careers, both leaders faced political opposition. John Winthrop left familiarity in search of religious freedom and the pursuit of a life pleasing to God. James Madison, in creativity, thought of an entirely renovated way to successfully restructure the government of a nation that acted more as separate states. By using their backgrounds as a driving force for innovation they renovate governmental systems and lead the people from the ground up, inspired by Reformation and republicanism. Their implementation of government was different in emphasis, but the republican ideals behind it were the same.
James Madison and Andrew Jackson are some of America’s greatest presidents. They both did great things including being one of the Founding Fathers and being the most famous and well-known war hero of their time. James Madison and Andrew Jackson have many similarities and differences. For example, both of them served time in the military and they also both agreed with the removal of Native Americans. One of their major differences is that James Madison was born into a rich plantation owning family while Andrew Jackson was born into poverty. Through the information in this essay, you will see they also had alike and different ideas and personalities.
Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists favored a strong central government, because they thought the common people shouldn’t have been allowed to vote. As said in Enduring Vision, “ordinary voters should not be presented with choices over policy, but should vote simply on the basis of the personal merits of elite candidates” (206). However, Democratic-Republicans thought otherwise. According to the Enduring Vision, “They stressed the corruption inherent in a powerful government dominated by a highly visible few, and insisted that liberty would be safe only if power were widely diffused among white male property owners” (206). Also, views on foreign affair differed within these political parties. The Federalists kept friendly relationships with Great Britain and promoted economic growth, and was opposed to France. The opposite was to be said about the Democratic-Republicans, because they wanted France to side with them to gain independence from
The Federalist Party was mostly made up of well-educated people such as merchants, bankers and manufacturers. According to historian Eric Foner, Hamilton’s “long term goal was to make the United States a major commercial and military power,” Hamilton used Great Britain as a model of economic development, and greatly stressed the importance of government aid in manufacturing, trade, and commerce. As stated by Foner, “Hamilton’s program called for the creation of a Bank of the United States, modeled on the Bank of England, to serve as the nation’s main financial agent.” His plan was to create a private back with the goal of creating a common currency. Lastly, Hamilton and the Federalists distrusted the common people and believed that they were ignorant and incapable of self-rule. Therefore, a strong central
Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were completely at odds in their vision on how America was to develop. Hamilton wanted to concentrate power in a centralized federal government with limited access and Jefferson wished to diffuse it among all the eligible freemen of the time. Alexander Hamilton feared anarchy and distrusted popular rule while Jefferson feared tyranny and thought in terms of liberty and freedom.
In the 18th century, the fate of Americas political structure was uncertain. In George Washington's Farewell Address in 1796, the president advised that the creation of political parties sharpened by the spirit of retaliation, would inevitably cause long term mistreatment. Despite his words, two of his closest advisors, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, formed the gatherings that started the dual-party system in which the United States operates today.
Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were key Founding Fathers of America who contributed to its freedom and independence. Both men were influential leaders of their time whose visions for the future of the country were clearly contrasting. Hamilton believed for a strong federal government and an economy based on banking. While Jefferson desired for a nation to be controlled by the states and its people. Their competing visions for the United States are still in debate until this day. Although Jefferson’s ideas were significant to America, many of Hamilton’s philosophy still holds in today’s government.