Hamilton Vs Thomas Jefferson Essay

Superior Essays
During the early, immature years of our nation’s history, the interests of north and south, rich and poor, and industry and agriculture were dealt with as compromises, upsetting both sides until two deeply different visions for the country arose. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton believed that our new country’s federal government should be more powerful. However, Hamilton 's views faced strong opposition by many, such as Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and House Representative James Madison. He believed it more wise to provide more power to individual states. The two emerging parties deemed themselves with names that reflected their most treasured values. The Federalists attached themselves to the flourishing campaign in favor …show more content…
Alexander Hamilton, a Federalist, thinks James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, Democratic-Republicans, are dangerous to our new nation. Hamilton states in Document 2, “In respect to our foreign politics, the views of these gentlemen are … unsound, and dangerous. They have a womanish attachment to France, and a womanish resentment against Great Britain”. Hamilton thinks Democratic-Republicans are too attached and “in love” with France and they are too bitter and spiteful to Great Britain to actually get anything done. Jefferson thinks differently, he thinks Federalists (Hamilton) are only about themselves and other wealthy people. Jefferson said in Document 1 that “Hamilton was not only a monarchist, but [in support] of a monarchy [based upon] corruption”. Federalists favor strong central government, which Democratic-Republicans often viewed as something that would turn into monarchy and we 'd have another King George all over again. Jefferson also stated in Document 5 that he thinks the Federalists are Aristocrats and monocrats. He thinks the Federalists are stuck up, and only in favor of themselves and other wealthy people. That they do not care about the poorer people in this country. Because of the differing views, it lead to a split in political …show more content…
The Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans both spoke badly of one another. The Sedition Act was passed partially because of this. If something was published in the newspapers that was negative in any way directed towards the government, those people were prosecuted. Congressman John Allen, of Connecticut, was tired of the all the slander and hatred in the papers, so he agreed with this law. Stating in Document 6, “If ever there was a nation which required a law of this kind, it is this”. Congressman Allen agrees with the Sedition Act because he 's tired of all the lies and mean things being said about the government. He sides with the Federalists, that could be due to the fact that he is wealthy and higher up in the government. Democratic-Republicans were at the brunt of this act. They were the ones who were being prosecuted for publishing newspapers with the slander. George Hay, a member of Virginia State Legislature, points out in Document 7 that the Sedition Act was actually a violation of the Constitution. He states, “The freedom of the press … means the total exemption of the press from any kind of legislative control, and consequently the Sedition Bill … is an

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    It was the end of the American Revolution and two political philosophies dominated American politics. The founders of this were Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton believed in a strong central government while Thomas Jefferson believed in the states should be dominated by the political system. Hamilton and Jefferson had different ways of thinking. The two philosophies of government had grown farther apart.…

    • 152 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    George Washington, being a wise and an experienced president, warned the individuals of the United States of America to not use factions, as this concept would not be beneficial for the newly made independent nation. Historical figures such as Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson decided not to listen to Washington’s plead. Both men created two political parties that reflected one another’s beliefs. Hamilton stood behind the Federalist party as Jefferson did the same for the Democratic-Republican party, which is also known as the Republicans. Each party had opposing views of one another.…

    • 1029 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson had fundamentally different opinions on how the United States should be constructed and governed. Hamilton believed the elite should hold great power and that the federal government should be exceptionally strong. However, Jefferson believed that the common man should rule the country and that the state governments should hold most of the powers. Both men had a strong impact on America today, yet one more than the other.…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were two Founding Fathers with contrasting backgrounds that shaped their views and desires for the new nation. Jefferson, an anti-federalist from a wealthy, agricultural background advocated for the protection of states’ rights and the limitation of federal power. Hamilton, a federalist born from a poor family and who established himself through the military, advocated for a strong, central government. Both Jefferson and Hamilton would find themselves at ends with one another on a multitude of issues when it came to how the new nation would be organized. One topic that caused much controversy between the two Founding Fathers was the establishment of federal banking system.…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He then came up with the Non-Intercourse Act which was similar to the Embargo Act but, neither one worked and both were hard to enforce. The Embargo Act gave Jefferson exactly what he didn 't want. It resulted in the United States to be 90% rural. Jefferson strictly didn 't want a rural society. The Alien and Sedition Acts were passed by John Adams in 1797.…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jefferson identified more with state independence because he lived in the states while they were still separate, whereas Hamilton didn’t have any regard for local autonomy because he never lived in an individual state and had to fight for states rights. Jefferson feared a strong centralized power because he believed the more power to the common man, the better. Thomas Jefferson shares how much trust he had in the common man in his Notes on the State of Virginia, “Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God.” (MP 165) This quote clearly expresses the amount of trust Jefferson had in the people and furthermore, how idealistic he was about having a government for the people by the people.…

    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    (Pg. 78 Jefferson vs Hamilton). With this Jefferson made an alignment with the Democrat-Republican party with the wishes to ensure the people taxing rights as well as their natural…

    • 1504 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were two men who wanted change in the political party system. This is where the two new political parties were created, the Federalist party and the Democratic-Republicans. These two new forms of government brought new and different ideas on how to run a federal government. Most candidates of today still follow these ways of thinking, but their ideals are much less extreme, but also these ideas could be applied to some of the problems of today. Alexander Hamilton started his political career as an advisor to Washington during his presidency.…

    • 1013 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Thomas Jefferson & the Alien and Sedition Acts In June and July of 1798 conservative Federalists pushed a series of repressive measures through Congress. They were known as the Alien and Sedition Acts. As it is stated in American Destiny: Narrative of a Nation, “the Alien Enemies Act gave the president the power to arrest or expel aliens in time of ‘declared war.’ ” The Alien Act also gave the president the ability to expel all aliens that he thought were “dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States.”…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    With respect to the federal Constitution, the Jeffersonian Republicans are usually characterized as strict constructionists who were opposed to the broad constructionism of the Federalists. To what extent was this characterization of the two parties accurate during the presidencies of Jefferson and Madison? As war wages on in Europe, economic and political influence is spreading to America. As the President’s, Jefferson and Madison are challenged by upholding their country’s honor and putting their beliefs into action.…

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The main differences between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson lie behind what they thought the principle of government was. According to Hamilton, government was needed to protect individual liberties. Hamilton was the leader of the Federalist Party also known as the Hamiltonians, who strongly supported his ideas. They believed in order for Americans to be free they needed a strong central government ran by well-educated people such as Hamilton himself, to protect individual liberty. “He advocated a strong central government, and refused to be bound by the strict wording of the constitution” (PG. 159).…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the argument about the ratification of the United States Constitution, both the supporters and the opponents had substantial reasoning for their viewpoints. However, these groups differentiated greatly on what problems were most significant to their arguments. Each group came up with smaller “subgroups” of issues they had with the Constitution or Articles of Confederation. The supporting group of the Constitution was the Federalists, who believed in a strong central government that would better protect and support the new upcoming nation.…

    • 993 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    He does not believe that the collection of taxes is necessary because it was not specifically stated in the Constitution. Jefferson’s point of view is that he thinks that the Federalists are making claims that are not in the Constitution and he thinks their power is useless. “ …Cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government…” (Document C). In George Washington’s Farewell Address, he claimed that the government should try its best to not develop political parties.…

    • 1488 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    AJ Siciliano, Federalists Vs. Anti-Federalists Essay Before the ratification of the constitution, two original political parties fell consistent during the 1700’s, Federalists and Antifederalists. In shorter terms, Federalists wanted a stronger central government to have overall power of the states, rather the Antifederalists wanted something similar to the Articles of Confederation, where the states as individuals, had more power than the central government. Both, although strongly contrasting, contained one main similarity, thirst for the creation of a new country, just with different ideas of how it should function.…

    • 1080 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Is conflict necessary for change? Based on Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson I draw the conclusion that yes, conflict is necessary for change. I believe that change is only completed if there is a conflict, no matter how big or how small it is. My three reasons for this, are based on Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson arguments on their views of human nature, the best form of government, and Ideal Economy. In documents provided for us, document 1, 2 Hamilton and Jefferson disagreed in the way they viewed human nature.…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays