Compare and contrast the Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian movements in regard to:

Political philosophy
Long-term social and economic outlook
Interpretations of the constitution
Federal VS. State power
Two opposed political philosophies have existed throughout the history of the United States. During
the late 1700s and 1800s, these two political philosophies were expressed as the Federalists and the
Democratic Republicans. At the time, the Federalists were led by Alexander Hamilton, a man who sought
a strong central government. And then there were the Democratic Republicans who were led by Thomas
Jefferson, a man with beliefs contrary to those of Alexander Hamilton. Although it can be debated as to
whos ideas benefitted the social, economic, and political outlooks of America at a greater level,
Jeffersons ideologies provided to be superior and much more beneficial to America as a whole.
Alexander Hamilton was the leader of the Federalist Party. Hamilton had several beliefs that
differentiated him from Jeffersons ideologies. In terms of who should govern, Hamilton believed that
only the rich and well educated could rule because he thought that common people were foolish.
Hamilton supported the upper class and imposed taxes that would hurt the middle and lower classes rather
than the upper class. For example, consumption taxes were favored by Hamilton because they were
harder to raise to confiscatory levels than incomes taxes. In relation to the structure of the government,
Hamilton favored a strong central government and thought that the American government should be
modeled on the British system. In regards to the constitution, Hamilton supported a loose interpretation of
it. This is because Hamilton believed that the central government could be strengthened at the expense of
state rights. He believed that the government should use the implied powers and the elastic clause from
the Constitution to create ideas that would be beneficial. Hamilton also believed that some individual
liberties such as the freedom of speech should sometimes be restricted. Economically speaking, Hamilton
proposed the idea of a national bank to provide loans for businessman and to provide a place to deposit
federal funds. Hamilton also wanted to create a very strong commercial society with a large industrial
sector. As for long-term and economic outlooks, Hamiltons ideas of a national debt and the imposture of
taxes would hold true. Also, national banks are still in play to this day. Socially, Hamiltons idea of a
ruling upper class did not hold true. Today the ruling classes are the middle and upper middle classes,
although the most prominent figures in politics are normally very wealthy.
In opposition to Hamiltons Federalist ideas was Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was the leader of
the Democratic Republican Party. Jeffersons views on how the United States should be ruled differed
completely from those of Hamilton. For starters, Jefferson believed that the common people were capable
of being involved with the government and that they should participate in voting. Jefferson held a higher
level of respect for the common people. Jefferson supported the middle and lower classes mostly because

these were the people that made up most of Americas population. In terms of the structure of
government, Jefferson preferred a more democratic government and had chosen to follow a strict
interpretation of the constitution. Jefferson favored freedom of speech and press and did not take those
rights away from the people unlike the Federalists who thought it was ok to allow for some restrictions of
these rights at times. The Alien and Sedition Acts were created by the Federalist Party and caused lots of
disturbance within the Democratic Rep. Party. Because Jefferson was into massive state power and very
limited national power, the Sedition Act caused for an uproar and led to the Kentucky and Virginia
Resolutions. The Sedition Act made it a crime to publish false, scandalous, and malicious writing against
the government. This was a total violation to the first amendment, freedom of speech, which Jefferson
emphasized was a common right that shouldnt be taken away. In response to this act, the Kentucky and
Virginia Resolutions were established to doom and declare such act unconstitutional. Economically,
Jefferson was opposed to establishing a national bank claiming that it was unconstitutional and instead
encouraged state banks. Jefferson preferred an agrarian society with some industrial alternative. Jefferson
also believed that the United States was responsible for helping the French (Pro-French).
In conclusion, although both the Federalists and Democratic Republicans Parties tried their best
to efficiently run the United States in the ways they thought were most appropriate, they both had their
flaws and successes. Overall however, Jeffersons ideas of allowing the states to hold more power in
comparison to the national government, proved to be the most beneficial for the people and the most
appropriate that would allow the nation to succeed.