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Comparisons of Alexander Hamilton to Thomas Jefferson
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With opposing views of the constitution from Thomas Jefferson and the Jeffersonians and Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists, the shape of the United States would change because of their views. The phrase “We the People" has been understood by many to mean the "citizens." With this view, if "We the People” only includes citizens, it excludes non-citizens from recognition. The phrase has been taken as pronouncing that the national government takes its supremacy from the people as well as saying that the government was intended to govern and protect "the people”, instead of governing only the states as political units. The Federalists believed in a country where “he who owned the country should rule it,” while Jeffersonians were opposed to …show more content…
this, demanding a more true democracy. The issue of inclusion and exclusion of this phrase mirrors the struggles between these two factions of political views. The Jeffersonians were supporters of the “We the People” speech while the Federalists rejected it because the “We the People” speech advocated for individual rights which the Jeffersonians approved of, as well as ensured more rights based upon a more state centralized government than a federally strong government, as the Federalists believed in. The support of “We the People” given from the Jeffersonians highlighted important issues and views seen today. Thomas Jefferson favored states' rights. He believed the “common man” is capable of governing himself, and he also believed in lowering qualifications for voting. Jefferson was a plantain owner, with his farming life entering his views. Jefferson wanted an agrarian economy, which favored small farmers in the South, not the large plantation owners. They wanted to further highlight the support of the “common man.” The Alien and Sedition acts were heavily opposed and criticized by the Jeffersonians. Jefferson believed the act was a threat to citizen’s individual liberties. The act was further criticized by Jefferson, as well as James Madison, in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, where they explained the doctrine of nullification of the Alien and Sedition Acts. Jefferson’s view on the native Americans saw "Jefferson appears both as the scholarly admirer of Indian character, archaeology, and language and as the planner of cultural genocide, the architect of the removal policy, the surveyor of the Trail of Tears.” While Jefferson admired and was fascinated by the Native Americans, Jefferson could not understand them and did not know how to deal with them as equals. Despite his views on “We the People, he could not view them as people in his vision of the United States. Thomas Jefferson would eventually want the Natives removed from American territory if the Natives were not willing to learn from whites or “improve” their morals. In an effort to move populations, started by Andrew Jackson, Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase and made the plans for resettlement. Despite his opinions on wanting the “common man” for self government and being represented in government, not everyone was given an equal say in Jefferson’s views, thus clouding his views on “We the People.” Contrasting from the Jeffersonians, Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists rejected the views of “We the People.” Hamilton favored a strong central government.
He considered the 'common man' to be ignorant and incapable of self-governing. He believed that the elite should rule, those who own the country, and the qualifications for voting should be high, unlike the Jeffersonians. Hamilton and the Federalists stressed trade in their views of the economy. They wanted tariffs and business protections. The Federalists favored a strong central government with the power to control trade, tax, declare war, and write treaties. Again differing from the Jeffersonians, the Federalists were supporters of the Alien and Sedition Act. The Federalists saw the support of the Alien and Sedition Acts as necessary to stunt the growth of the Jeffersonians and limit the criticism of the Federalist officials from the public. Hamilton’s economic plans, which consisted of the proposal to establish the national bank, became the point of greatest contention between Jefferson and Hamilton, a plan that Jefferson strongly opposed, believing it would weaken the states and not help the north finish paying their debts. One of Alexander Hamilton’s main goals was to raise to a higher position in society. He was not an advocator for Slavery or mistreatment of slaves or natives, but followed his own ambitions if the issues ever crossed paths with his ambitions. All of Hamilton’s views strengthened the federal …show more content…
government’s power at the expense of the states, a viewpoint that Jefferson strongly disagreed with, intensifying their rivalry even more. Although both Jefferson and Hamilton were both active during the American Revolution and in the creation of the United States of America, Jefferson and Hamilton did not work with one another until President George Washington appointed Jefferson and Hamilton the secretary of state and the secretary of the treasury.
Even as they were tasked to work with one another, the two men had different plans for how to shape the nation. Jefferson believed that America should be run with an agrarian tradition, however Hamilton’s economic plan was based off of manufacturers and trade through other nations. Washington may have had this in mind as he appointed these two men together, because of their great differences. The inclusion and exclusion of “We the People” demonstrated how while there were two opposing views on the topic, there was not a clear winner in the debate. The Jeffersonians supported the "We the People" speech, while the Federalists did not support it because the Jeffersonians ensured more rights for citizens and a government more emphasized on state government rather than federal government. Hamilton wanted a stronger federal government, while Jefferson was more in support of states' rights. While their battle raged on about how to shape America, there was no clear winner and today both of those views are still seen in today’s society, and mirrors the similar issues regarding the inclusion and exclusion of “We the People”, another issue we still face today with regards
to who can stay or must leave our country. With the spark these two men provided back then, the debate for how to shape America still is fought today, with ideas from both men still coming up today.
Jefferson and Adams Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were both strong presidents who kept a stabile nation, but they differed in their methods of doing so. Adams was a federalist so he helped establish a stable government by focusing on forming a strong central government. Jefferson being a democrat-republican worked to establish stability in the US government by promoting state’s rights. They both worked for stability in different but successful ways.
Two Founding Fathers, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both discussed their views of aristocracy. The two disagreed on this subject, as they did on many others. In summary, Adams seemed to be more open to aristocracy, as long as it is controlled, while Jefferson rejected pseudo-aristocracy, he believed that natural aristocracy can and should be a result of government.
Thomas Jefferson and George Washington are the two most prominent leaders in establishing a stable government after the adoption of the Constitution. After the Revolution, America was unstable but was controlled after policies and regulations were set under the presidency of Washington and Jefferson. Washington excelled in making the right decisions based on what he thought was right for America’s future. Jefferson expanded independence because of his wants for more political liberty and freedom of religion and education. Although the two had different views, they both succeeded in greatly changing the nation's government for the better. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson helped in establishing a stable government for the new nation by
Alexander Hamilton and James Madison did have faith in the ethics of the people to establish a republican government, for they could see that the old Federalist Government was no longer working for the people. The people had out-grown the Federalist government, and needed to become a Union. Alexander Hamilton asked the people to come join him in making a new Union. By uniting the thirteen colonies, the colonists could have more of a say in their government, and become united as a country. Alexander Hamilton told the colonists that they needed to meet and deliberate on a new Constitution for the United States of America. In the
“It’s not tyranny we desire; it’s a just, limited, federal government.” Alexander Hamilton. When Hamilton said this he was expressing the way he felt about central government. Hamilton and Jefferson both had very different views on government. Hamilton wanted a strong central government and Jefferson wanted all of the power to belong to the states. Alexander Hamilton’s views on government were better for what the United States would become.
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were the last living individuals from the first American progressives who had confronted the British people and manufactured another political group in the previous provinces. Then again, while they both trusted stock in vote based system and life, freedom and the quest for joy, their conclusions on the best way to accomplish these standards separated after some time. Later, serving two presidential terms, Jefferson and Adams each communicated to outsiders their appreciation the other and their longing to recharge their friendship. Adams was the first to end the hush; he sent Jefferson a letter around the time of new year’s, in which he wished Jefferson numerous great new years to come. Jefferson reacted with
He states that the government had too many leaders and not enough followers. That the government administrated by too many people who had a different motive on running the state. In addition, Madison agreed to what Hamilton was saying. Therefore, Madison helped Hamilton settle this dilemma. “It has been seen that delinquencies in the members of the Union are its natural and necessary offspring; and that whenever they happen, the only constitutional remedy is a force, and the immediate effect of the use of it, civil war.” (Hamilton) Hamilton father explains why this would be a problem with government and predicts what might happen if it reaches to that point. “To this reasoning, it may perhaps be objected, that if any State should be disaffected to the authority of the Union, it could at any time obstruct the execution of its laws, and bring the matter to the same issue of force, with the necessity of which the opposite scheme is reproached.” (Hamilton) Both Alexander Hamilton and James Madison wrote the 18th and 19th Federalist paper. The 18th article spoke about contradicting the argument of anti-federalists that proposed a monarchical rule in America. Madison states that if the anti-federalist and federalist do not collaborate on the rule that they established for the people. They would become like the people in Greek history. “Instead of this obvious policy, Athens and Sparta, inflated with the victories and the glory they had acquired, became first rivals and then enemies; and did each other infinitely more mischief than they had suffered from Xerxes.” Demonstrating a jealous view of power and disorganized fashion. “Their mutual jealousies, fears, hatreds, and injuries ended in the celebrated Peloponnesian war; which itself ended in the ruin and slavery of the Athenians who had begun
Alexander Hamilton exerted the most influence in the new Federalist Party. He believed that only an enlightened ruling class could produce a stable and effective federal government. The government therefore needed the support of wealthy men. Thomas Jefferson and the Republicans defended more the rights of the common man and an agrarian society with little power from the federal government. His basic principle was "in general I believe the decisions of the people in a body will be more honest and more disinterested than those of wealthy men."
One of the earliest examples of Hamilton’s power was his role in the national assumption of state debts. After the Revolutionary War, individual states had varying amounts of debt. States with less debt were in favor of paying it off themselves, while those with greater debt needed some federal aid. Wanting to make the country more unified, Hamilton saw making a large collective national debt as a way to bring together the states. “Hamilton’s impulse, therefore, in assuming all outstanding state debts was to avoid unnecessary and destructive competition between state and federal governments, and at the same time to preempt the best sources of revenue for the United States Treasury” (Elkins and McKitrick 119). The author states Hamilton’s motives for assumption were to eliminate competition between the states that might damage the union. This fits in with his larger policy of strong national government. Other politicians were opposed to this, such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Their opposition to the plan went away as assumption became associated with other less controversial plans of Hamilton’s. Madison even turned in defense of the plan after being convinced of Hamilton’s financial vision (Bowers 61). Hamilton made a compromise turning out in his favor when he allowed Madison and Jefferson to have a capital on the Potomac River. This allowed him to pass his plan more...
He was bold and persuasive and his philosophies quite extraordinary for his time. Jefferson’s agricultural viewpoint was vastly different from Hamilton’s manufacturing perspective. Though they both envisioned a great and prosperous nation, they had contrasting opinions on how this should occur. Hamilton, a Federalist, believed the rich and powerful should be the central government for all people, as they knew better how to foster and protect the em... ...
As a federalist Alexander Hamilton wanted to establish a stronger federal government under a new Constitution. He met in Philadelphia with other delegates to discuss how to fix the Articles of Confederation that created a weak central government. During the meeting, Hamilton expressed his view that a dependable current source of revenue would be crucial to develop a more powerful and resilient central government. Although Hamilton played a diminutive part in the writing of the Constitution itself, he did heavily influence its ratification. In cooperation with James Madison and John Jay, Hamilton wrote fifty one of eighty five essays under the joint title The Federalist “The Federalist Paper.” In the essays, he cunningly explained and defended the newly drafted Constitution prior to its approval. In 1788, at the New York Ratification Convention, two thirds of delegates opposed the Constitution, however Hamilton was a powerful advocate for ratification, effectively arguing against the anti Federalist persuasion. His efforts succeeded when New York agreed to ratify, which led the remaining eight states to follow. He had a proposal for the new government that was modeled on the British system, which Hamilton considered the best.
Going hand in hand with his detestation of large, extremely controlling national governments, Jefferson was intent on having no national bank present in the US, but Hamilton was certain the country would benefit from one. For example, in a personal letter written by Alexander Hamilton, he wrote, “Mr. Madison, co-operating with Mr. Jefferson, is at the head of a faction, decidedly hostile to me, and my administration; and actuated by views... subversive of the principals of good government, and dangerous to the Union... Mr. Jefferson... [displays] his dislike of... funding [the] debt.” (Doc 2) Hamilton implied that by not advocating a national bank, Jefferson did not want to help the country pay off its debt. Jefferson, however, was dead set against having a national bank because he wanted the common people, such as the farmers, to have maximum influence on the government. This way, a strong central government could not have supreme political, economic, and social power, all of which together would open the doors for future corruption, even if the government was set up in the manner directed in the Constitution. Jefferson defended this judgement to the extent that he formed a political party so it could develop into a well-supported suggestion. Thus, the perspective on national banks could more efficiently progress into the point where it impacted the whole country and prevented the formation of a national bank. Equally, the excise tax proposed by Alexander Hamilton and carried out by Congress, factored in on Hamilton and Jefferson’s feud on having a national bank. In a letter written by Thomas Jefferson, he manifested his reaction to the excise tax by commenting, “The excise tax is an infernal one... [the public’s]
While Hamilton and Jefferson both tried to give the new nation what they thought was best, it was inevitable that their views would clash. Due to sharp differences in their political and economical thoughts, Hamilton and Jefferson more often then not found themselves fighting over issues they should have been in agreement with. Hamilton’s Federalism and Jefferson’s anti-Federalism all served to create different movement that would affect the nation both economically and politically as the years after the Revolution played out.
Jefferson’s beliefs in local self government created differences between himself and Alexander Hamilton which created the Federalists (Hamilton followers) and the Democrat Republican’s (Jefferson followers).
People have their own perspective of a government that they envision for their people. Thomas Jefferson has been the president of the United States and ruled under a monarch. Jefferson couldn’t tolerate the abuse from a monarch, so he rebelled against the British crown. In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence, and declared the colonies were free from British rule. Before he became the author of The Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was established “ as an ardent republican and revolutionary” (Jacobus 77). Jacobus states Jefferson is, “one of the most versatile Americans of any generation” (Jacobus 78). In The Declaration of Independence, Jefferson and the founding fathers envisioned a government that would govern the people, and the people would be free. The people must be governed with rights, Jefferson implies it’s the government’s duty to guide and secure the people, therefore, he believes the government’s obligation to the individual is more important than the individuals obligation to the state.