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Compare And Contrast Hamilton And Jefferson

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In the years following the Revolutionary War, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson had a number of conflicting philosophies on how best to run the young nation. Most important of all was determining the role and responsibilities of the federal government. Hamilton, a Federalist, was an advocate of a strong national government controlled by the wealthy with the power to tax and regulate commerce; Jefferson, who grew up on a Virginia plantation, championed states' rights and a laissez-faire policy, placing faith in the common people to shape the future of America.

Hamilton was a dedicated proponent of the Bank of the United States, proposing the idea to President Washington in January of 1791. Under Hamilton's plan, the federal government …show more content…

Hamilton favored protective tariffs to help grow the American economy to compete with those of England France, while Jefferson wanted nothing to do with the industrial societies of Europe. Hamilton's urban mind was ahead of its time. He envisioned a society powered by cities and industry; his rival Jefferson, having grown up on a farm, focused on the agricultural potential of the nation. Jefferson also believed agrarian people were more virtuous and trustworthy than the urban aristocrats Hamilton represented. Indeed, in the presidential election of 1800, much of Jefferson's support came from rural America while Federalist opposition centered in industrial New England.

Many of Hamilton and Jefferson's differing political views stemmed from their general attitudes toward human nature. Hamilton believed political leadership was best left to a wealthy, well-educated minority, feeling politics were beyond the scope of the common people, while Jefferson believed in the power and integrity of the general public who comprised the great majority of American citizens. Although the two never saw eye-to-eye on many political issues, both were extremely intelligent men who worked towards their images of a better nation and helped shape the foundation of …show more content…

Among them were Lyman Beecher and three of his children. Beecher himself was a key contributor to the Second Great Awakening, leading a series of Calvinist revivals around the time of the War of 1812. These revivals led to a series of reform movements in the early 19th century, most notably the temperance movement of the 1830s which aimed to stamp out alcoholic beverages. Other social contributions from the Beecher family included Catharine Beecher's efforts towards attaining higher education for women and advocating female careers in teaching, Harriet Beecher's famous novel “Uncle Tom's Cabin” which helped expose the evils of slavery, and Henry Ward Beecher's work as an antislavery advocate and preacher before and after the Civil War.

William Lloyd Garrison was one of the fiercest abolitionist figures of his generation. Garrison launched The Liberator in 1831, a radical weekly antislavery journal, where he called for immediate and unconditional emancipation of all slaves. In 1833, Garrison united with other abolitionists to found the American Anti-Slavery Society. The Second Great Awakening heavily influenced many leading abolitionists such as Theodore Dwight Weld, while Garrison used his newsletter to rally Northern blacks behind the

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