While both Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson played tremendous roles in the development and founding of the United States, their beliefs were vastly different. Hamilton believed that America’s power should be based in a federal government. On the other hand, Jefferson believed that the power should be distributed amongst the states construed of local governments. These beliefs and views on the order in which America should be run, strongly influenced their actions and how they supported and changed the American government. Jefferson and Hamilton strongly opposed each other in regard to the practicality of a national bank and believed that the bank should act in different roles. Before you take a close observation of Jefferson and Hamilton’s …show more content…
Thomas Jefferson, on the other hand, was born into a wealthy family in Virginia. He first started out as a tobacco farmer. He then later became a politician in Virginia. From early in his life, Hamilton was a federalist. Hamilton and his party strongly believed that the country should be governed by the wealthy and upper class because they were the ones who were best suited to hold positions of power. Jefferson supported a Republican party that completely opposed the idea that the “elite” should lead the country. The main objective of Jefferson’s party was to leave little power in the hands of the government in order to prevent tyranny. Hamilton and Jefferson were also opposed in where they thought the power should be concentrated. The federalists believed that the federal government should have national power. The Republicans and Jefferson wanted the American power to be divided among the states. Along with the government, both men thought the American economy should have been supported in different areas. Hamilton thought that the already agricultural-economy could improve with the addition of manufacturing and shipping. Jefferson, stemming from a farming background, believed that the economy could …show more content…
Of all their disagreements, the debate over the bank was probably one of the most popular topics that the two men argued. Soon after Hamilton’s rise into politics, he created a plan for the for the government to establish a national bank. The idea that Hamilton set forth seemed to reflect the Bank of England because he admired the system that the English government had. Hamilton’s intricate banking system was created to have many branches placed across the States and create a common currency for the entire country. Hamilton also supported that the National Bank should be able to loan money to the government and act as a place to deposit their money. Hamilton created a very descriptive plan for a national bank that he offered to the Congress in December of 1790. To quickly confront America’s problem, Hamilton’s idea wanted the bank to pay off all debts the country had. Hamilton wanted to use this national bank in order to turn the economy in the right direction and strengthen the financial interests in America. Thomas Jefferson disagreed with the ideology of a national bank completely. Jefferson’s argument was that he believed the formation of a national bank under the government was unconstitutional and that the government didn’t have the power to do so. In Jefferson's Opinion on the Constitutionality of a National Bank, Jefferson says that
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.
The main reason that rise to conflict between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson is their contradict ideas about the government. As a federalist supporter, Hamilton find favor in a strong central government, meanwhile, Jefferson believe in a limited government. Because his fear of mod rules, HaMilton distrusted that a government should be ruled by everyone. He acknowledge that a strong central 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.
Alexander Hamilton was one of the most influential figures to shape American finances. He made his contribution through the The Hamiltonian Economic Program. The goal of his plan is to improve the American economy through three steps. The first is to pay off the nation’s national debt in order for states to focus on business. This way maximum profit can be achieved. The second step is to place tariffs on imported goods to gain money. Lastly is to create a national bank in order to regulate money flow and currency. However, Thomas Jefferson strongly disagreed with Alexander Hamilton’s views which was evidently seen in the political parties, the Democratic Republicans and the Federalists. One of the main differences between the two is regarding the type of government America would have. Hamilton favored a strong federal government while Jefferson favored a small local government.
The two different visions of assembly of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton conveyed understandings of American power and the American people. For Hamilton, America's quality lay in the business industry. His America was one of delegates, specialists, speculators and banks. His party anticipated those would help these people battle in an overall business focus. Hamilton was suspicious of state governments, obliged as they were to slim neighborhood interests.
In the history of America, Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State, and Hamilton, the Secretary of the Treasury, were two of the greatest leaders of our country. Although they both lead the country, that's where the similarities end as they had opposing views on everything. Jefferson was a republican while Hamilton was a federalist. Jefferson had been opposed to all of Hamilton's ideas, such as his financial plan, his interpretation of the powers of the government, his foreign policy, and his vision for the future of America. Jefferson was against Hamilton's views because his financial plan would ultimately destroy democracy in America, his interpretation of the powers of
Hamilton controlled the Federalist for twelve years. During that time, Hamilton thought the government should consist of wealthy men. These men would be capable of having a strong, stable, and independent economy. Hamilton had problems with the Republicans when he got the Congress to pass his plans on opening up a National Bank. This bank was to have a safe place to put their money, provide loans for businesses and the collection of taxes. Thomas Jefferson believed that Hamilton and his Federalist group were corrupted, because Hamilton was using his power and causing problems for the
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,
Thomas Jefferson believed in the ?strict interpretation'; of the constitution, especially the Tenth Amendment. The Tenth Amendment states,'; the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.'; Jefferson argued that since the Constitution did not specifically empower the federal government to establish a national bank, thus it could not do so. Hamilton argued for a loose interpretation. He relied on the implied powers clause which states that Congress can make all laws ?necessary and proper'; for the execution of its power.
While at the head of their respective departments, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton constantly had conflicting visions, therefore the people followed one or the other, and were split into two, either republicans, or federalists. Jefferson and his followers were considered republicans, and Hamilton and his were known as the federalists. They disagreed on almost every political issue from 1789 to 1800, so not only were they in constant disagreement, but the entire country was as well. Their differences were well known and everybody saw this including the President, George Washington (Doc E). He acknowledged that their varying opinions on every issue resulted in matters going further than they needed to. He wanted them to resolve their
One of Jefferson’s and Hamilton’s first disagreements began with the idea of a National Bank. Hamilton suggested that the government should create the Bank of the United States Jefferson protested because this was not allowed by the Constitution. Hamilton opposed the view of Jefferson and stated that the Constitution’s writers could not have predicted the need of a bank for the United States. Hamilton said that the right to create the Bank of the United States was stated in the “elastic” or the “necessary and proper” clause in which the Constitution gave the government the power to pass laws that were necessary for the welfare of the nation. “This dilemma revisits the ever lasting dispute between the “strict constructionists” (Jefferson) who believed in the strict interpretation of the Constitution by not going an inch beyond its clearly expressed provisions, and the “loose constructionists” (Hamilton) who wished to reason out all sorts of implications from what it said”. Just a few years later, under President Jefferson, the federal government of the United States
Jefferson followers were generally farmers, debtors, and other lower class people who were loyal to their state governments. Anti-federalists not want a strong government, and so they tried to weaken the federal government. They interpreted the Constitution as a law that federalists must follow exactly, thus limiting their power. Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian social and economic policies differed. Hamilton wanted to use the government as a way to increase the economic interests of America, such as in business. Federalists implemented protective tariffs like the excise tax, created the national debt, and a strong central bank. Jeffersonians preferred agricultural as the main source income, and further did not want a strong central bank. Jefferson wanted a limited government to prevent a autocratic dictatorship, and so he protected state rights and farmers, on the other hand, Hamilton wanted a powerful government to promote industry and manufacturing so that America could undergo an industrial revolution and become a world
Alexander Hamilton, though, worked for a more complex economic system. He planned out a national debt, public credit, a national bank and a plan to pay off the debts the nation had accrued. He advocated to accept the old debts of the Articles of Confederation, war debts, and state debts under his economic policy because it gives the government some legitimacy, and it allows for the government to obtain credit from other countries easily.
He was appointed Washington’s first Secretary of Treasury and the one who led the Federalist party. He himself had just as much ideas circulating as Jefferson. For example, Hamilton believed that we should have a strong central government that was controlled by the elites (wealthy). Another opposing belief was that America should be a society of manufacturing and shipping (basically anything industrial). One thing that was attached to Hamilton’s views was that America should have a national government. The reason he said this was because he thought that this bank could be created based on the Elastic Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The national bank was to be done so that the country could manage its money
By the 1820’s, the Embargo Act, War of 1812 and the Panic of 1819 played a very important role in the reshaping of our countries economic development. Hamilton believed that America would flourish only if we were involved in heavy manufacturing and commerce. He believed a strong federal government could solve many of the new country’s financial problems including establishing a stable currency. He therefore established a national bank similar to the one in England to consolidate the states debt under the federal government and enacted protective tariffs to increase American manufacturing. He also knew the importance of promoting domestic manufacturing so the United States would no longer have to rely on imported manufactured goods. Jefferson was the complete opposite. He believed that it was essential that the citizens of the new country would grow their