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How could you compare and contrast Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton
Essay on te history of alexander hamilton
Alexander hamilton and thomas jefferson dbq
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In this essay I will be mostly talking about the ideas of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. I will try to go into a lot of details of their lives and there personal backgrounds. As well as the impacts of the Civil war and the shaping of the United States. Also I will be talking about the relations they had with each other, their ideas and beliefs. There is a big difference with Jefferson’s ideas and Hamilton’s, as well as their early lives. Hamilton was born in the West Indies and raised on the Caribbean island of St. Croix. When Hamilton was about the age of 13, a disastrous, hurricane struck the island and did a lot of damage in the area. Hamilton wrote a detailed description of the storm that impressed all who read it. A few prominent …show more content…
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison formed the Democratic Party in 1792 and held considerable power in the years leading up to the civil war. The northerners who wanted to abolish slavery founded the Republican Party where they held a lot of Hamilton’s ideas. There was also the Constitutional-Union Party who wanted to avoid secession over the slavery issues and was formed by the former Whigs. They had one big difference and goal which was "to recognize no political principle other than the Constitution of the country, the Union of the states, and the Enforcement of the Laws". A lot of the ideas that people argued about were in a way influenced by Thomas Jefferson and alexander …show more content…
to civil war was the disagreements on how things should have been. Some things like the Missouri Compromise, the Dred Scoot Decision, and the Abolitionist Movement and so on. A lot of the conflict was about the slaves even thought it was not the main intention of the war but became the main reason in the end. The different ideas that Thomas Jefferson and alexander Hamilton did help people choose different ideas and beliefs. Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton ideas and beliefs are still in discussion to this day from the ones we didn’t adapt already. One of Hamilton’s revolutionary views, still relevant today is an active federal government that encourages new fields of enterprise and fosters investment and entrepreneurship. Jefferson’s most fundamental political belief that is still relevant to our government is “absolute acquiescence in the decisions of the majority”. To this day they help us think of better ways to improve our
...s not favor one founding brother over another. The book's sources seem to come from a wide variety of both primary documents and critical literature. Great quotations from each of the founding brothers are adequately and properly dispersed to create an illusion that the major players in the book are arguing their respective points. The quotations are so effective because they come directly from the American leaders themselves and are seamlessly blended with Ellis's additional commentary.
The Jeffersonian-Republicans (also known as the Democratic-Republicans) were opposed to the Federalists from before 1801-1817. Leaders Thomas Jefferson and James Madison created the party in order to oppose the economic and foreign policies of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist Party. The Democratic-Republicans supported the French, whereas the Federalists supported the British. Each party had its set of views. The Federalists supported a loose interpretation of the Constitution, a strong central government, high tariffs, a navy, military spending, a national debt, and a national bank (all ideas of the Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton). The Democratic-Republicans opposed all of the said ideas and fought for states' rights and the citizens to govern the nation. Originally, each of these parties stuck to their own views and ideas, but eventually would accept eachother's views and use them as their own.
"Teaching History.org, Home of the National History Education Clearinghouse." Jefferson versus Hamilton. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
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."
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were two important men who affected our nations independence and the beginning years of our country. They helped form this nation into a free and sovereign country. Yet, they were different in many aspects they shared a few common features. Both Washington and Jefferson grew up in the southern state of Virginia and like most owned land to grow and harvest crops. In growing up they came from two different class levels of living. The Jefferson family was more famous and richer than Washington’s giving him a greater advantage and opportunity to succeed, especially in higher education. After Jefferson finished regular schooling he was able to attend the College of William and Mary were he studied law. He did so under the teaching of George Wthe who was considered perhaps the greatest teachers of law in Virginia at the time. Washington however was taught by his mom mainly in mathematics and received no higher education. Washington was still knowledgeable and began to put it to use in the army to become as a young British soldier. He interred the army at the young age of nineteen were he began to learn leadership and military strategy which would prove useful in the Revolutionary War to come. Jefferson on the other hand was involved in the laws, courts, and small politics. At the young age of twenty-five Jefferson was elected to the House of Burgesses in Virginia were he served for five years. Washington was known for his great motivational speeches that would rally troops together to prepare for war and lead on to victory. Jefferson was more of a writer not a speaker and by using his skill he wrote and brought forth fresh ideas of independence and freedom.
During the period 1800-1817, the Jeffersonians to a great extent compromised their political principles and essentially “out Federalized the Federalists”. While traditional Jeffersonian Republicanism advocated a strict interpretation of the Constitution and an emphasis on an agrarian economic system, the actual policies of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were markedly different from their theoretical principles. This obvious compromise of Jeffersonian principles is evident in the Federal government’s assumption of broad-based political powers and institution of capitalistic Hamiltonian economic reforms, both of which stemmed from Jefferson and Madison’s adoption of broad constructionist policies.
In 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected as president of the United States of America, the repercussions of which led to civil war. However it was not only Lincoln’s election that led to civil war but also the slavery debate between the northern and southern states and the state of the economy in the United States. Together with the election of Lincoln these caused a split, both politically and ideologically, between the North and South states which manifested into what is now refereed to as the American Civil War.
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... ...
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
Hamilton's boyhood on St. Croix was not that of a typical founding father. His mother took him and fled their home after his father refused a divorce, putting a label on his mother and his family wherever they went. This constant feeling of inferiority instilled in Hamilton a drive to succeed, and his way of feeding this drive was constant study. In fact, when he was deciding on colleges after coming to the United States, a major criterion was the college's willingness to allow him to cram work into a smaller time frame thus allowing him to graduate earlier (Decarolis 125). As a result he would eventually become one of the nation's most learned men; this, he felt, obligated him to publish The Federalist Papers and other works that showed the ideology he had derived from his studies. St. Croix also had an impact on his political views later in life. The island was fueled by the slave trade and sugar plantations. On the surface one might see the basis for Hamilton's hatred for the institution, as a slave on a sugar plantation was subject to the most inhumane treatment of any during that period (Decarolis 77). Also, th...
While there were some instances where the Hamiltonian Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans managed to coexist in a somewhat peaceful manner, most of their tenure as political parties was filled with feuding and disagreement over the economy and role of the national government. The men were true to their beliefs and strategies in which they best believed to lead to a functioning, united America, and while often disagreeing they simply wanted to see the nation thrive and succeed. Major issues, including those of Hamilton’s suggested fiscal system as well as loyalties to the French, only contributed to their constant dislike of each other and their intentions, and most likely contributed to their demise as political parties.
Hamilton is a very strong member of the Founding Fathers by founding the National Bank, and the U.S. Mint. Allowing the use of currency allows every American to trade goods for a set amount of currency. Another act Hamilton did was convincing the people of New York to ratify the constitution. Without their help, the constitution would not have a ratification at that time. The next significant act Hamilton did was become Washington’s assistant. Hamilton aided Washington by becoming the major general of the army during the Quasi War with France. The last piece Hamilton was able to be significant to the new world was his role as the Secretary of Treasury. This was important because the newly founded government needed to find ways to pay national debt that had been accumulated during the Revolution. Hamilton is significant to the new world by establishing a financial foundation for the federal
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).
“[T]he man on the ten-dollar bill is the father of the American treasury system, a signer of the Constitution, one of the primary authors of the Federalist Papers, and the loser of the infamous duel with Vice President Aaron Burr. Alexander Hamilton's earlier career as a Continental Army officer is less well known. Yet Hamilton's first experience in public service is important, not only because it was the springboard to his later career, but because it also deeply influenced his values and thinking” (Hamilton).
Both Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were prominent members of society during the era after the revolution. Yet while these two men came from similar backgrounds and both believed in liberty and independence, neither of the two men could stand each other. This was mainly due to the fact that the two men had radically different views on various subjects, and neither was willing to give up or alter their view. Alexander Hamilton, one of the most important people of the time, was the first Secretary of the Treasury. Utilising federal power to modernize the nation, he convinced Congress to use an elastic interpretation of the Constitution to pass laws that Jefferson deemed unconstitutional.