From 1789 to 1799, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were two powerful leaders who had contrasting views on how government should function. This time period was known as the Federalist era. Two political factions were forming. One was the Federalists and they supported a strong federal government. The other was the Democratic - Republicans, who were strong adovotactews of state’s rights. George Washington was elected the first President of the United States and was determined to do his job. He appointed Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic - Republican, as his secretary of state and Alexander Hamilton, a Federalist, as the secretary of the treasury. The French Revolution in 1789 , called for America to side with the French or the British. …show more content…
They differed on their views on the common man, who should be able to vote, and their thoughts on special privilege. Hamilton did not have faith that the common man could be intrusted with the affairs of the government. “The people are turbulent and changing: they seldom judge or determine right,” according to Hamilton. This meant he supported the idea of high voting requirements which did not allow the lower classes to vote. He believed the wealthy had the special privilege to control society and the government. Hamilton can be quoted saying, “Give therefore to the first class a distinct, permanent share in the government.” Since he was such a fierce supporter of the wealthy, the taxes he proposed hurt the lower classes the most. Jefferson was utterly the opposite of Hamilton. He had faith in the common people and trusted they would be able to run the government. Jefferson said “Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers. . . alone. The people themselves are its only safe depository.” Jefferson supported the idea of low voting qualification because the common folk should have a say in government. He considered the poor, not the wealthy, as being the key to freedom. According to him, “Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” Special privilege was something Jefferson was wary of. He believed people born wealthy should not be entitled to the right to run the government they way they see fit. Hamilton and Jefferson acquired different social views regarding special privilege, who should be able to vote, and their speculation of the common
During the time period of 1801 to 1817, there were multiple issues in the United States ranging from wars to political boundaries. This time period saw the termination of the Federalist party. The conflicts were between two parties called the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists. The Federalist party was officially started by John Adams. John Adams was also a loose constructionist just like all the other Federalists. Federalists were in favor of a strong central government. On the other side, was Thomas Jefferson who was in office from 1801 to 1809. Jefferson started the Jeffersonian Republican party. The Jeffersonians were strict constructionists who believed in states rights. They said that anything that is not stated in
Men like Daniel favored the Jeffersonian Republicans because they hated how Hamilton, the leader of the Federalists, wanted and suggested laws that did not help the common people. The Federalists wanted policies appealed to the merchants, wealthy and educated, and city folk. In other words, the Federalists wanted the wealthy to become even wealthier while the poor went bankrupt. In addition, the Federalist supported a National Bank, excise taxes, and high tariffs. For example, Hamilton suggested on taxing whiskey, which was majorly consumed by the poor because it was cheap, while beverages consumed by the wealthy such as, wine and port, were not included.
8). The second reason he interpreted the constitution this way was because if the Constitution were to be interpreted loosely, it would pose a threat towards Slavery. Jefferson had supported slavery, and did not want the government to be able to gain more power through the clause, and in the long run, eventually ending slavery in America. The final reason Jefferson opposed Hamilton's interpretation was because Hamilton was using his loose interpretation to his advantage, creating a bank to further push his financial plan into motion, which was the exact opposite of what Jefferson wanted as it went against all of his beliefs. Jefferson was trying to stop Hamilton's plan, and one way was to stop the abuse of the “Necessary and Proper” clause.
Jefferson and Hamilton ideas begin to conflict when they search for a remedy to prevent an oppressive majority and control faction. Jefferson believes the answer lies in small republics and education to stop oppression from occurring in the republic. He suggests that if every citizen was able to become an “acting member of the common government” then no person shall be oppressed, and that all rights will be protected. Furthermore, this system will only work if all of the citizens within the republic are educated. Therefore, Jefferson believes the smallest sectors of the nation, such as the smaller communities or states, should have the most power, and the largest sectors, such as the national government, should only deal with foreign affairs. On the other hand, Hamilton believes the
I agree with Jefferson’s belief, because if we were to have only the wealthy elite
Thomas Jefferson was an agrarian soul who favored popular rule. He placed his trust in the land and the people who farmed it and desired that America would remain a nation of farmers. He emphasized liberty, democracy, and social welfare and believed that
During the last decade of the eighteenth century, the Federalists were in control of the country and its policies. They passed laws to make a strong central government and some of them even desired for there to be a kind of landowner aristocracy. Their power soon began to erode from within as different factions headed by John Adams and Alexander Hamilton greatly weakened the party's effectiveness and power. They alienated themselves in the eyes of the population by passing the Alien and Sedition acts. This led to the election of Thomas Jefferson as president in 1800, who described his election as a second revolution. Jefferson and his supporters were now able to try to bring about their dream of making America an agrarian republic of small
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.
Conflicting views and contrasting ideologies have always existed throughout the history of United States politics. Alexander Hamilton, who led Federalist Party, believed that a powerful central government was necessary while Thomas Jefferson, who led the Jeffersonian Republican Party, favored an agrarian nation with most of the power left to the states. Although Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were similar in that they both harbored good intentions and tried to keep the best interests in mind for the future of the United States, their policies were drastically different. Without doubt, both of their contrasting ideas served a vital role in forming the government.
The argument between Federalists and Anti-Federalists might seem long gone to American citizens, but still their philosophical foundations shape the teams, scope and size of the battlefield. These philosophies go back to two lone men, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Both fought aggressively for a government based on their ideas, and both did make portions of the now-standing American government. This essay will outline the political, social and economic philosophies of both men, how their philosophies influenced the government today, and a closing opinion.
In the late 1700's, John Adams was President. Adams was a member of the Federalist Party. The Federalists were in control of the Congress. Adams and other Federalists were Pro-British and the Republican Party was Pro-French. Thomas Jefferson led the Republicans. Federalists were worried that the influx of French into the country
Jefferson, as a Republican, believed in a society that distrusted the rich and that was run by farmer-citizens. He was a strong supported of not the upper class but, "the people". A defender of human liberty, Jefferson believed in a minimum of government and favored power at the local level. Jefferson also believed that if people were given the opportunity, they would be decent and reasonable. Jeffersons supporting party disagreed with many of the things that Hamilton and the Federalists proposed and passed as laws, including the idea of the national bank. Madison, in fact, argued on behalf of the Republicans that the federal government had no righ to establish a federal bank because it was not among the enumerated powers of Congress found in the Constitution. The Republicans also ignored the Naturalization Act, nor
By 1817 the great American experiment was in full swing. America was developing into an effective democratic nation. However as the democracy continued to grow, two opposing political parties developed, the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists. The Jeffersonian Republicans believed in strong state governments, a weak central government, and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. The Federalists saw it differently. They opted for a powerful central government with weaker state governments, and a loose interpretation of the Constitution. The seemingly solid divide between Federalist and Republican would begin to blur during the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. For, neither Republican president was able lead
Someone who was polar opposite of Alexander Hamilton in their views was Thomas Jefferson, a member of the Democratic - Republican Party. Jefferson was in favor of a smaller central government with more power to the states. He perceived that it was unconstitutional to have the federal government to have so much influence on daily life. Jefferson thought that agriculture should be the backbone of the economy. He also did not support the idea of a central bank, Jefferson thought that the U.S. should pay off all of its debt and stay out of business affairs.”Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of god…..for substantial and genuine virtue”(Document D). Thomas thought that America should be the voice of ALL of the people so he wanted the common people to be able to have more of an influence in the government. Jefferson did not trust the wealthy people in government and thought that the more down to earth farmers and commoners would keep them in check. A very prominent difference in Hamilton and Jefferson was their views on the constitution. “Powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution,
The future of America relies on manufacturing and Hamilton realized that, the future could of never surrived on just farming, there was just too many improvements to do. Think if we didn't have manufaturing, that would mean no telephones, no cars, and no means of communition unless you wanted to walk over to whom ever's house you had to talk to. Without someone manufactuing water purifiers we wouldn't have clean water, which means there would be many more dieases and deaths. Just fruits and vegetables alone wouldn't of cut if down the road, people would of got sick of them easily. Jefferson thought of the one main necessity in life, food, but he didn't think of how to improve the quality of life in America. While Hamilton on the other hand, took time to draw out his detailed plan on how to put his plan into attack, he also included everyone in his society. Though the plans differ