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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.
“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 Alexander Hamilton were completely at odds in their vision on how America was to develop. Hamilton wanted to concentrate power in a centralized federal government with limited access and Jefferson wished to diffuse it among all the eligible freemen of the time. Alexander Hamilton feared anarchy and distrusted popular rule while Jefferson feared tyranny and thought in terms of liberty and freedom.
Thomas Jefferson was the chief opponent of the Federalists. He despised Hamilton’s plan. He and the rest of the Democratic-Republican party believed that it weakened their revolutionary ideals, specifically the idea that “all men are created equal,” because Hamilton’s plan favors insiders. They also believed that his plan divided the American people, geologically and economically. This goes against the idea of a United States of America. When writing to George Washington about Hamilton’s plan, Jefferson says, “His system flowed from principles adverse to liberty, and was calculated to undermine and demolish the Republic, by creating an influence of his department over the members of the Legislature” (Jefferson). In a letter written after Pinckney’s and Jay’s treaties were put into action, Jefferson says, “In place of that noble love of liberty, & republican government which carried us triumphantly thro’ the war, an Anglican monarchical, & aristocratical party has sprung up, whose avowed object is to draw over us the substance...of the British government” (Jefferson). This statement shows the hostility that Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans have towards the control that the Federalists have over their government and communications with other countries. The two parties have a lot of pressure and hostility between each other because they both think they believe
The federalist versus anti-federalist opposition to begin the political differences. Federalists were a group of people who pushed for a strong central government and weak state governments, while anti-federalists were a group of people who pushed for power in the states and not the central government. Hamilton, a Federalist, was a firm believer in the construction of a strong central government and a broad interpretation of the Constitution. A broad interpretation of the Constitution meant more government control of the people. Hamilton believed that if a government were to operate efficiently, it would have to be conducted by the educated. Although at the time period, being educated was an expectation for only white men and a limitation for men of color and women. Through Hamilton’s position as being the Secretary of the Treasury, he was able to propose the idea of a national bank. His proposition of the bank was to serve as a way to help America back onto its feet after the Revolutionary War.The bank would regulate currency, help control the American currency, and prevent any singular group from having the most power. According to the Necessary and Proper Clause located in article 1, section 8, clause 18 of the United States Constitution, Hamilton believed the government had the implied powers to use it in order to help and protect the American people.Not only would the bank
Jefferson and Hamilton both articulated admirable visions of America’s future, and both believed to be carrying out the legacy of the revolution. Hamilton favored a strong central government, a balanced market oriented economy and a national bank. Jefferson, on the other hand, desired to create strong state governments, have agriculture as the backbone of America and little government involvement within the economy. Despite the merits of each vision, implementation of only one of the plans would have led to either a very different or shortened American history. As such, it was necessary for the plans, to “blend” in an unconventional way. With both politicians insisting their plans were in the best interest of the country, an outright compromise
Such as how Thomas was thinking in the mind of the nation would be holy if we were an agricultural nation. However Hamilton was thinking along the lines of the future and making it easier for the younger generation the be wealthy. Plus the Federalist wanted the nation to be ruled by the wealthy so it does make sense to want to have a wealthy nation. On the flip side the Democratic-Republicans wanted their agricultural nation because it caused less power for the federal government and more power for the states.
"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."
Hamilton's Federalist Party and the Democratic Republicans led by Thomas Jefferson had polarized views on the majority of the important political issues. These two political parties which possessed differing opinions and views pertaining to the future of the U.S. government were persistent in their respective arguments against each other. The strongly contrasting views of these two parties are the foundation of the puissant and sometimes callous attacks by the Republicans against Hamilton and his economic plan. Although Alexander Hamilton was viewed as an arrogant self-promoting individual, the primary reason he faced fierce opposition from the Democratic Republicans against his economic plans was strictly rooted in the fundamental differences that Hamilton and the Republicans held when debating their proposed structures of the U.S. government.
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...
Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were both men for the greater good and for the future of the nation. Jefferson and Hamilton had their differences, and public policies but also similarities. Thomas and Alexander were both part of different political parties. The political parties were called Federalists and anti-Federalists. Federalists were led by Alexander Hamilton who were a group of people were for a strong governments and strong government. The anti-federalist’s leader was none other but Thomas Jefferson. The anti-federalists were for a state and local government. The main comparison among these two gentlemen were that they were both leaders of their own political party. The other difference was their view on both of the types of
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
Both men (Jefferson and Madison) as well as both parties were steadfast to their views of interpretation in words, but when it came to action, they strayed from their political conceptions about the Constitution. Both political figures reinstated time after time that the nation rested solely on the states, but when the time came, with it was the second war with Britain or the trade with France, the two men broke from strict constructionism, in order to serve the public interest. In general, both presidents took the views of either party when it suited him best.
Thomas Jefferson wrote his Draft of the Declaration and was influenced by many of the ideas and concepts of John Locke. He did modify some of Locke’s ideas but most of them were the product of Locke’s belief in the Law’s of Nature and the fundamental unalienable rights of all human beings. As a result, their writings influence and demonstrate basic rights of people and make up our government. The world in which we live in is a product of the ideals of these men, who lived over 200 years ago; we are a representation of a republic
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.