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Whose side would you have been on in the 1790s, Thomas Jefferson’s or Alexander Hamilton’s? Both of these men served under George Washington in the first presidential cabinet, yet they had very different views of what government should be (Davis 86). My objective in this research essay is to inform the reader of why there was so much controversy between these two founding fathers, and to determine which side had the better views for our newly forming country.
After Washington became president, people started forming political parties based on how they thought the government should be run. Washington did not like the idea of the country being divided into “factions,” as he called them. But the problem was that this was happening within his own cabinet, with Thomas Jefferson on one side and Alexander Hamilton and John Adams on the other (Davis 86). I agree with Washington that the country should be united as one. However, I do feel that you need two sides to solve a problem and come to a compromise when it involves the lives and fate of the people of an entire nation.
Jefferson, secretary of state, and Hamilton, secretary of the treasury, had different ideas on almost every topic. It mainly seemed to do with how they viewed people in general, and their ability to govern themselves. Hamilton basically thought that ordinary people weren’t intelligent enough to run the country, and therefore he felt that a few professional politicians should run the government (Davis 86). He brought this topic up at the Constitutional Convention by saying that people divided themselves into two groups, “the wealthy and well born” and “the mass of the people.” He went on to say that “the people are turbulent and changing” and “they seldo...
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...n on which it is based, I tended to side more with Jefferson’s Antifederalist beliefs. If we were to allow only the elite to rule, then our fight for freedom would have been meaningless. Therefore, I also agreed with his stance on the need for public education and the ability of the people to govern themselves. As Thomas Jefferson himself once stated, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free… it expects what never was and never will be (Davis 54).”
Works Cited
Brodie, Fawn M. Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1974.
Cerami, Charles A. Young Patriots. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2005.
Davis, Kenneth C. Don’t Know Much About Thomas Jefferson. New York, New York:
HarperCollins Publishers, 2005.
Ellis, Joseph J. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.
Thomas Jefferson was a strong supporter and spokesman for the common man and self-government. He strongly believed that the purpose of American government is to look after and support the common interests of the people. He was against anything that he felt would hurt the common man such as the Bank of the U.S. and big government. Jefferson believed the Bank was hurting the common man and became a damaging monopoly. "It would swallow up all the delegated powers [of the states], and reduce the whole to one power..."-Jefferson referring to the Bank. He was strongly against big government and felt it would oppress the common man. "I am not a friend of a very energetic government...it places the governors indeed more at their ease, at the expense of the people." Jefferson was also a strong supporter of the Bill of Rights, which protected the rights of the people. "A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to..." He felt the Bill of Rights would clearly state and protect people's rights, "freedom of religion, freedom of the press, protection against standing armies, restriction of monopolies, the eternal and unremitting force of the habeas corpus laws, and trial by jury...." It was based on Jefferson's suggestions that Madison proposed a Bill of Rights. Jefferson did everything he could to help the common man.
Based on the following doctrines, I believe the extent of characterization of the two parties was not completely accurate during the presidencies of Madison and Jefferson, because of key pieces of evidence that proves inconsistencies during the period between 1801 and 1817. In the following essay, I will provide information supporting my thesis, which describes the changing feelings by each party and the reasoning behind such changes.
In the book Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis, the author relates the stories of six crucial historic events that manage to capture the flavor and fervor of the revolutionary generation and its great leaders. While each chapter or story can be read separately and completely understood, they do relate to a broader common theme. One of Ellis' main purposes in writing the book was to illustrate the early stages and tribulations of the American government and its system through his use of well blended stories. The idea that a republican government of this nature was completely unprecedented is emphasized through out the book. Ellis discusses the unique problems that the revolutionary generation experienced as a result of governing under the new concept of a democracy. These problems included- the interpretation of constitutional powers, the regulation of governmental power through checks and balances, the first presidential elections, the surprising emergence of political parties, states rights vs. federal authority, and the issue of slavery in a otherwise free society. Ellis dives even deeper into the subject by exposing the readers to true insight of the major players of the founding generation. The book attempts to capture the ideals of the early revolutionary generation leaders and their conflicting political viewpoints. The personalities of Hamilton, Burr, Adams, Washington, Madison, and Jefferson are presented in great detail. Ellis exposes the reality of the internal and partisan conflict endured by each of these figures in relation to each other. Ellis emphasizes that despite these difficult hurdles, the young American nation survived its early stages because of its great collection of charismatic leaders and their ability to ...
And so, as he inquires about the safety of America and its liberties he must take time to see how his role is crucial in americas potential downfall. In the paragraph of Query 18 Jefferson asks the question “can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God?” This rhetorical question shows how the effects of groupthink and how it negatively affected the masses and allowed individuals like Jeffersons to encourage the act of slavery yet, use the idea of America and its government as a scapegoat. Additionally, by admitting that “Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep forever:” Jefferson shows that he knows exactly what he is doing and that his actions have repercussions and that he has fell victim to Internalisation Conformity. Internalisation Conformity “when one adopts the ideas and actions of which it is composed - is intrinsically rewarding. He adopts the induced behavior because it is congruent [consistent] with his value system' (Kelman, 1958)” As readers read Query 18 they are able to see that although jefferson fears for the safety and the sanctity of his country he is unable to put a stop to slavery because of his enjoyment of being a master and his
“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.
"Teaching History.org, Home of the National History Education Clearinghouse." Jefferson versus Hamilton. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
“Jeffersons Influence on the United States -Program No. 35.” VOA Learning English. n.p. n.d. Web. 25 March 2014.
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."
When Thomas Jefferson entered office in 1800, he came in with lots of new ideas and goals as the president. Jefferson believed in a smaller central government with stronger state governments. He was a Republican and favored the view of strict construction. He believed that, “Our country is too large to have all its affairs directed by a single government…” (Document A). Jefferson and his Republican party believed in a government that was going to work for the people and that was going to have them at its best interests. That is why they believed in having stronger state governments, they were closer to home and to the people they were governing, therefore they knew more of what the public needed. Document B also refers to strict construction and Jefferson’s beliefs. It talks about the freedoms that were stated in the constitution, mainly, the freedom of religion. Jefferson believes that the federal government should not have any say in dealing with religion of the people. The Republicans believed that any law stated in the Constitution should be strictly followed.
...der Hamilton shaped the New World and the way in which policies were managed. Today’s United States government mirrors more the ideas of Alexander Hamilton, but it seems the majority of her people prefer the vision of Thomas Jefferson; the idealistic dream of true freedom and of the ability to shape one’s own destiny. Would it be the other way around if the current state of government was turned? For sure, if one vision had prevailed wholly over the other, the outcome would be substantial in modern society; Hamilton’s vision would have created another England and Jefferson’s – who knows?
Hamilton had a strong belief that the Constitution could be interpreted loosely which meant the constitution permitted everything that it did not specifically state or forbid. According to Hamilton, the Constitution gave the Federal Government ‘implied powers’ power to execute what was needed for the county, even if it wasn't stated directly in the Constitution. He backed his argument through his support in the ‘elastic clause’ which was in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. This clause gave flexibility and granted Congress the power to do what was “necessary and proper” for the government to carry out their enumerated powers. Because of the elastic clause, Hamilton said it justified Congress establishing the National Bank. Contrary to Hamilton, Jefferson looked upon the Constitution as a document that should be interpreted literally. If a law wasn’t directly written in the Constitution, it was deemed unconstitutional. Jefferson feared that if the government followed a belief of loose interpretation, they would have too much power and could violate individual and states rights. He also believed that powers that were not given to the Federal government are given to the states under the 10th amendment, which supported his claim that that the Construction should be strictly interpreted. Hamilton and
The idea of political parties alarmed many Americans. Even the most influential political leaders despised the concept of these parties. Citizens feared that the parties would create chaos and division in the country and would abolish the hard work our leaders did to create unity. Americans also feared that “factions” would develop, like the very hated ones that formed in Britain that would use bribes with the government for personal gain. The leaders of the trend were Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. These men had many differing views of government, economy, and allies and because of this, they often could not reach fair compromises. In the end, they needed to organize supporters who agreed with them. Defying the opinions of many
However, the author 's interpretations of Jefferson 's decisions and their connection to modern politics are intriguing, to say the least. In 1774, Jefferson penned A Summary View of the Rights of British America and, later, in 1775, drafted the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms (Ellis 32-44). According to Ellis, the documents act as proof that Jefferson was insensitive to the constitutional complexities a Revolution held as his interpretation of otherwise important matters revolved around his “pattern of juvenile romanticism” (38). Evidently, the American colonies’ desire for independence from the mother country was a momentous decision that affected all thirteen colonies. However, in Ellis’ arguments, Thomas Jefferson’s writing at the time showed either his failure to acknowledge the severity of the situation or his disregard of the same. Accordingly, as written in the American Sphinx, Jefferson’s mannerisms in the first Continental Congress and Virginia evokes the picture of an adolescent instead of the thirty-year-old man he was at the time (Ellis 38). It is no wonder Ellis observes Thomas Jefferson as a founding father who was not only “wildly idealistic” but also possessed “extraordinary naivete” while advocating the notions of a Jeffersonian utopia that unrestrained
compromise. Jefferson’s account suggests the growing divide, showing that without a mediator, the ideologies are too far divided to achieve legisla...
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.