Thomas Jefferson vs. Alexander Hamilton

940 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The jeffersonian era quizlet

Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton entertained many differing ideas of how the United States (US) should be run, especially in relation of philosophical ideas, domestic policy, and foreign policy. Firstly, looking at the philosophical differences, each man seemed to be consistently on the two opposite side of the other. Thomas Jefferson believed there needed to be maximum public control, and the government needed to be decentralized. Therefore, there needed to be ways for everyone to get an education, so that they could have information and power. Jefferson also wanted to increase the percentage of family farms, and believed that having farms were the way to success. He was for the power of the common people, and abundantly suspicious of the upper class. Alexander Hamilton fancied centralizing the government, and have only few wealthy educated citizens able to lead. Hamilton was suspicious of the common people, and looked at rebellions as back-ups to those ideas. A strong national government was key, he said. To do this, the US needed to have an economy centered on commerce and industry. Secondly, the two had great differing opinions on domestic policy. Thomas Jefferson wanted to pay off all debts as soon as possible, but not assume the state’s debts. Leaving the states the responsibility of eliminating the debt he thought was best. On the issue of the existing revolutionary war bonds, Jefferson believed in paying back the original owners, the people who funded winning the war (mostly the common people). A protective tariff, Jefferson thought, helped the South more than the North, and thought it was not just. The Secretary of the Treasury did not fancy a levy dubbed The Whiskey Tax. This tithe would have greatly affected the...

... middle of paper ...

...ooked down upon additionally. Due to electors only being able to vote for President, the end result was a tie. To break the draw, the House of Representatives voted, and Thomas Jefferson came to be the third President of the United States. Due to this deadlock, the election led to the creation of the twelfth amendment. From the twelfth amendment, “they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President...The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President...he person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President”. The indicated election continues to affect who even our contemporary presidents are. Therefore, it is my conviction that the election of eighteen-hundred was a very critical turning point in United States history.

Show More
Related

  • John Adams Dbq Essay

    1481 Words  | 3 Pages

    Even though John Adams (1735-1826) and John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) were father and son, also they were our President in the United States but they are not the same. The differences are their early lives, the early political career, and major presidential actions.

    Read More

  • A Summary Of The Exchange Between Thomas Jefferson And James Madison

    1133 Words  | 3 Pages

    After reading the exchange between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison on the question of central importance to American constitutionalism—whether any Constitution, including the United States Constitution, needs to be positively reauthorized or not by every succeeding generation for it to remain legitimate, I believe that what Jefferson demands in his letter as in all too much else, is ignorance, even rage against the past. His principle on expiring the constitution and laws every 19 years would only result in weak government that offers no social continuity and stability.

    Read More

  • Jefferson And John Adams Compare And Contrast

    154 Words  | 1 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Jefferson and Hamilton

    978 Words  | 2 Pages

    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."

    Read More

  • Hamilton And The Economy

    1445 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • The Duel Between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton

    1649 Words  | 4 Pages

    Teaching American History. “the election of 1800.” From Bullets to Ballots. http://teachingamericanhistory.org/zvesper/ (accessed September 9, 2010).

    Read More

  • Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton

    653 Words  | 2 Pages

    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... ...

    Read More

  • American history from 1815 to 1840

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    In order to understand and analyze the forces that shaped politics during this time period, political changes must first be examined. One of the biggest changes during this time period was the change in the number of voters. Between 1812 and 1840, the percentage of eligible voters in the United States presidential elections almost tripled, increasing from 26.9 to 80.2 percent while the percentage of states allowing voters to choose presidential electors more than doubled, rising from 44.4 to 95.8 percent, shown in Document A. By 1840, Rhode Island was the only state that didn’t allow all free men to vote.

    Read More

  • Electoral College Dbq

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Electoral College has been the favored method by the United States to elect the president for many years. When the College was first created in 1787 it was seen as an efficient and reliable way to vote the president into office. It has been more than 2 centuries since this method of electing was chosen, and many things have changed in U.S. society. The Electoral College is failing to keep up with these advancements in society and a new method must be chosen soon. Throughout the almost 2 and a half centuries since the beginning of the Electoral College there has been a large change in population.

    Read More

  • Thomas Jefferson Vs Martin Luther King Jr

    1523 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although the time periods and goals may be different the method for bringing about change is usually the same, this method is protest. Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail, which was written in April 16, 1963, is a passionate letter that addresses and responds to the issue and criticism that a group of white clergymen had thrown at him and his pro- black American organization about his and his organization's non- violent demonstrative actions against racial prejudice and injustice among black Americans in Birmingham. And The Declaration of Independence was written to show a new theory of government, reasons why they were separating from England, and a formal declaration of war. It gave the 13 colonies freedom from England's laws. The man responsible for writing the Declaration was Thomas Jefferson. He wrote the Declaration between June 11, 1776 and June 28, 1776. Benjamin Franklin and John Adams looked at what Jefferson had written and made some changes to the Declaration. On July 4, 1776 Congress adopted the Declaration. This method is supported by two different people, in two different time periods, with two different goals; these two people are Martin Luther King Junior and Thomas Jefferson.

    Read More

  • Political Parties In The 1790s

    1746 Words  | 4 Pages

    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]

    Read More

  • The Revolution of 1800

    1680 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson succeeded in defeating the incumbent, John Adams, and assumed the presidency. In terms of elections though, the election of 1800 itself was a fascinating election in that it a heavily-contested election and was effectively the first time political parties ran smear campaigns against each other during an election. The Republican Party attacked the Federalists for being anti-liberty and monarchist and tried to persuade the public that the Federalists were abusing their power through acts such as the Alien & Sedition Acts and the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion (Tindall and Shi 315). The Federalists, on the other hand, attacked Jefferson for his atheism and support of the French Revolution and warned that his election would result in chaos (316). By the end of the presidential election, neither Adams nor Jefferson emerged with his reputation completely intact. Still, rather than an election between Adams and Jefferson, the election of 1800 ultimately boiled down to a deadlock between Jefferson and his vice presidential candidate, Aaron Burr, who each held seventy-three electoral votes, resulting in the election was sent to the House of Representatives. In the end, the deadlock was resolved only by Alexander Hamilton, whose immense hate for Burr allowed Jefferson to claim the presidency. However, the election of 1800 was more than just a simple presidential election. The election of 1800 was the first peaceful transfer of power from the incumbent party to the opposition and represented a new step in politics, as well as a new direction in foreign policy that would emerge from Jefferson’s policies, and to this extent, the election of 1800 was a revolution.

    Read More

  • Thomas Jefferson's Presidency

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thomas Jefferson was the third American President. Due to the fact that he was such an early President, he influenced our political system greatly, both in the short and long term with his seemingly quiet approach to congressional matters. During his presidency, many things happened that changed the United States as we know it. He coordinated the Louisiana Purchase, assisted in implementing the twelfth amendment, formed the character of the modern American President, and cut the U.S.’s war debt by a third.

    Read More

  • The Electoral College Vs. Popular Vote

    1203 Words  | 3 Pages

    Originating in 1787, the Electoral College was created as the official body within American politics that elects the president and vice president. The decision of who will win is based off the vote totals in each state, and “the founding fathers established it in the constitution as a compromise between election of the president by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.” (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, “What is the Electoral College?”). During this time, the job of the Electoral College was to make peace between differing states and federal interest groups, provide popular participation in elections, give a vote to less populated states, and keep the president’s powers separate from Congress.

    Read More

  • Thomas Jefferson

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    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).

    Read More

More about Thomas Jefferson vs. Alexander Hamilton

Open Document