THE DIFFERENCES IN THE POLITICAL IDEALS OF THOMAS JEFFERSON AND ALEXANDER HAMILTON.

WHICH POLITICAL IDEALS WIN IN THE END? By Keisha Darling

November 19, 2013 The purpose of this paper is to compare the differences in Thomas Jeffersons and Alexander Hamiltons political ideals and goals regarding the new Federal Government and what would be implemented during their lives. Also to give my opinion of which of these goals they were able to succeed at and if they were beneficial to the Federal Government in their time. I would like to start by listing each of these famous historical mens political views, and goals that to helped create the political parties and nation we live in now. While I am no historian, or troop who has fought on the front or side lines for this country by any means (although I do give great thanks to those who have) the information that I have found and will write about in this paper are solely based on information obtained by sources from the history book I am currently studying from Experience History Interpreting Americas Past my professors lectures, and sources from the internet.

Thomas Jefferson

Did not believe in Monarchs but believed in a quite government that would not be heard
by the public. He was for the People of the United States, and believed the Constitution

was made so the people could keep the government power under control, by state vote and house representatives voted on by the people.

Jefferson believed in a smaller military force. Believed in a smaller judiciary system, and that state law would be best to implement this
system.

Believed in lower taxes, but wanted to pay off government debt. Believed that a Federal Banking system would give the Government too much power.
And in minimal Government spending.

He felt government should make choices strictly by the Constitutional Guidelines.

He had a colonial position for independence and that every man is entitled to the right of liberty and their pursuit to work toward life and happiness.

Held a high value and belief in the expansion of agriculture. Believing farmers were
Gods chosen people.

Did not believe in federal help for manufacturing or trade. Wanted to lower voter standards. Believed in helping the French Revolution. Did not believe in slavery, however was one of the largest slave owners. Viewed Religious Freedom key to a working democracy that held so many different
religions.

Wanted to create a religious free college.

 Because of the differences of ideals and goals for the government between Jefferson and
Hamilton, Jefferson was one of the creators and first politicians in the new political party of the past and future for the Republicans.

Alexander Hamilton
Believed in a strong central government, and admired a British Political system. He felt that the nation needed a large and revered military system. Wanted and helped to implement a Federal National Bank. Felt the nation needed a strong judicial system. Believed in Federal Law. Felt the government needed to create a large debt to obtain credit with other nations. Author of economic policies. Like the British political system, he felt high taxing the farmers, and tariffs would be a good solution to recovering money owed from wars and economic difficulties. (By taxing the poor he would also build revenue for the wealthy to help with his ideals of a strong central government.) He believed that manufacturing, trade, agriculture and finances would be effective in the nations economic crisis. Believed that the constitution had implied General Welfare guidelines to help implement his ideas for a central government. Hamilton felt that voters should have strict guidelines such as wealth, land ownership and education. Felt friendly trading with Britain was beneficial. Felt that some freedoms should be restricted, such as freedom of speech.

Because of Hamiltons and Jeffersons clashing ideals, one major Hamilton ideal the Federal Banking system, Hamilton was a creator and politician for the new Federalist Party of the now past and future.

It is no secret that Jefferson and Hamilton had completely different views regarding how our nation should be ran. While Jefferson was for the people, Hamilton was for centralized government. There opposing ideals and goals made the parties (Republican-Democrats and Federalists) who still today battle over what they believe will benefit our nations economic prosperity and growth. The decisions and ideals the people have voted on over the years have had major consequences that we as a people have had to either endure, such as war that cause loss of loved ones and economic challenges or national victories and economic reliefs to celebrate over. I personally feel that these consequences have equally impacted by both parties. Hamiltons ideals for a Centralized government were not all positive or negative. His belief for financial credibility as a nation has funded wars that were necessary for our nation s continued independence, however continued wars keep our nation in enormous debt (a belief of Hamiltons that would earn our nation financial credibility). Hamiltons belief of the government to have a large military has also been beneficial because our military has protected our nation. Helping our nation maintain a mighty threat to whomever intend to do America any harm. However the nations need to keep our troops out fighting battles that are not necessarily a U.S. fight are causing loss of troops, that impact their loved ones deeply. Also causing other nations to hold contempt for the U.S. another cause for the need of U.S. troops to go to war. I believe that alliances from other nations are beneficial for our nation, however how do we as a people know which nations are the correct choice to align with? And do we as a people have

any real say in these matters other than the vote we are entitled to by the Constitution? It seems to me that the people do not get a vote on any individual cause of war or backing of other nations as well as any other national debate, requiring that we have to solely rely on the politicians of this nation to make the correct choice. This is why I somewhat agree with Jeffersons belief in a strong state government rather than federal government, making our nations choices more derived by the people. This brings me to the ideals regarding who should have the right to vote. Hamiltons ideals were that only the educated, land owning, and wealthy people of our nation (even if only by inheritance) should have the right to vote. That the uneducated masses (who fought for their freedoms) could not be trusted to make the correct decisions for our nation. This is yet more proof that Hamilton did believe in a centralized government. However it was quite obvious that the Jeffersons beliefs that all men should be entitled to a vote were not only recognized but also improved upon. Our nation now believes and has made laws that the right to vote is every man or womans right in this day and age. And is not based on wealth, stature, gender, religion, or race, as long as you are a legal citizen of this nation. This I believe was a very large leap toward what Jefferson believed the Revolutionary War represented. That all men in this new nation be equal. Slavery while I feel from the beginning was by definition completely morally wrong, and hypercritical. We as a people in this nation settled here with the belief of freedom. For slavery to be such a strong issue for so long the issue repressed our equal rights growth as a nation for generations. Every race of slavery endured treatment that would be considered cruel to even animals in this era of our nation. While I feel Jefferson to have been hypercritical regarding this topic because of the amount of slaves he inherited and kept as slaves throughout his life, and also

the illegitimate children that he sired and kept as slaves even if they were never to actually worked in the fields of his land. Regarding Slavery I believe in the end was fought for and won by the republicans of this nation even though it took many decades for this to be resolved. Regarding our Federal Banking system it is apparent that Hamiltons ideals and loose beliefs in the Constitution won over legislation, backing his idea with the General Welfare clause in the Bill of Rights Preamble, just trumping Jeffersons argument that Federal Banking was unconstitutional and would give the government too much power. However Federal Banking came with many battles of its own. Even today the national debt our nation has occurred is a major issue. With our government still trying to come up with a solid plan of action to help solve this issue. Although Hamiltons Federal Banking system was implemented as well as his beliefs in occurring a great enough debt to financially accredit our nation, we as a nation have yet to yield payment for these debts. This is not to say that our nation is not capable of coming up with a solution, but as of yet we have not. A major portion of debt was paid over the Revolutionary war by imposing taxes on the farmers of our nation (Whiskey Tax). An ideal President Washington was for and Jefferson against. Hamilton coached Washington in taxing the farmers to pay off the nations acquired debts, but also to benefit the wealthy because he did believe in a centralized government. Hamilton with his centralized government ideals wanted to have other men like the farmers pay the government. An action that the British Centralized Government often used. Other portions of debt that Hamilton was for was tariff taxing. Jefferson was a big supporter of agriculture and did not agree to take the income from the hard working farmers to pay for national debt, or a centralizing government and because of these standards he left the position Secretary of State, a resignation Washington would never forgive.

However by taking the advice from Hamilton, President Washington was able to greatly reduce the nation war debts. A result of the Whiskey Tax did have farmers uprising against the nation again, because of their loss of the income the tax imposed. So while this plan did help our national debt the nations citizens were ready to go to war on their own soil again. This issue over an impending war over taxes, only reinforced Jeffersons belief against centralized government and again reinforced the republican citizens beliefs as well. It also helped his ideal for lower taxes, however Jefferson did also want to pay off debts. Jefferson felt he would pay these debts by increasing the amount of agriculture produced by Americans. Jefferson had ideals to increase the value and size of our nation, to give farmers the land needed to produce revenue agriculturally. He was given the chance to make the biggest land purchase made for this nation through the Louisiana Purchase. As much as a stickler for the U.S. Constitution that he was, Jefferson made a quick call and purchase of the last of the French owned land in North America from Napoleon (who needed money to fund his war with Britain). Jefferson decided to buy this land without going through the Congressional steps need by going through legislature. However no one in the Congress complained because of the amount of land that had now been acquired for our nation. Jefferson bought a piece of land that more than doubled or American land. Not only did he more than double the land he purchased it at the low cost of only 15 million dollars. After some debate with Spain and Britain who felt they still had a hold over the land, it was decided that Jefferson did indeed acquire this land for America from the French. He then sent Lewis and Clark to explore the new territory. I think this may have been the biggest achievement made by Jefferson, and deffinatly helped his part in the Republican eye, as well as in the eyes of the Federalists. An educated decision for the Americans by

Jefferson who felt supporting the French was the better choice, while Hamilton had wanted to support Britain the fathering country. Jefferson was a man who believed in the Constitution and to uphold the laws within (he did feel guilt over the Louisiana Purchase and the slaves that he felt should be free but still owned), and Hamilton did also believe in the Constitution however in a very loose way. While having a voice in Congress Hamilton did try to still the voice of any who spoke in a negative way regarding his beliefs by imprisoning some members of press. Jefferson however overthrew these attempts by the first amendment giving the all American citizens freedom of speech as one of the liberties of being an American. Another ideal respected and fought for by the Republicans. Another of Jeffersons goals was to open education to be taught without a religious bias. He felt citizens needed to be educated with an ideal in safety for liberty, and without this education Americans would be doomed to fail as a society. Jefferson established one of the first publicly funded schools. Instead of a school taught around religion, he felt that school should be taught around literature and added a great library to, and founded the University of Virginia. While Hamilton with his centralized government beliefs wanted a strong judiciary system and more employees working for the Federal Government (and even tried to set these ideals into action by advising President Adams to make last minute adjustments to the judiciary system before the end of his term, adding 6 circuit courts, and 16 new Judgeships, all with Federalist beliefs), Jefferson believed in State Government and less federal employees. Jefferson after his inauguration overturned the new Federal Employees just hired, to reappoint loyal Republican Federal Employees, and caused newly appointed Justice of Peace for District of Columbia Marbury to try and sue the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court did not rule in Marburys favor.

So after more than 12 years of Federalist holding power, the nation turned the power to the Republicans who felt that going through all laws passed by a Federalist government needed to be looked over and changed to suit the Constitution. Americans could count on the Republicans to restore and provide stability, order, and prosperity. In the many ideals and goals of Thomas Jefferson a Republican who believed in the Constitution in all the literal terms, and the ideals of Alexander Hamilton a Federalist who also believed in the Constitution but by a loose guidelines, still supporting the idea a more Centralized Government, I feel that both parties made many choices for the good of the American Nation. In my opinion, no one mans ideals are ever perfect or right all of the time. Both Mens Parties made beneficial choices and some more nave choices, however in their mind they were making the difficult choices needed to be made, to make all of America a working nation providing liberty for our nations citizens. I do not believe there is a real winner for ideals but a team of goals and dreams put into action for the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness for every man, woman, and child of America today.

References
Michael Benton, Contributor. Updated 11/06/2013. Thomas Jefferson. All articles regarding Thomas Jefferson therein. http://aboutthomasjefferson.com/thomas-jefferson-and-education/215/ Unknown Author. Unknown date. JEFFERSON/HAMILTONVIEWPOINTS.

http://www.palomar.edu/ehp/history/sgrenz/Study%20Guides/JEFFERSONHAMILTON%20VIEWPOINTS.pdf
2013. Quizlet. Amendments, George Washingtons Presidency & Whiskey Rebellion, gascadanny. Unknown date. GLE29--Types of Taxes, Time Machine Teacher. Unknown Date. Promoting General Welfare, Erinchick. Unknown date. http://quizlet.com/subject/Jefferson-vs-Hamilton/ James West Davidson, Brian DeLay, Christine Leigh Heyrman, Mark H. Lytle, Michael B. Stoff. Copyright 2011.Experience History Interpreting Americas Past. Volume1. Chapter 9. John Marshal Judicial Review.