Essay on Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton - 655 Words

There were many men involved in the establishment of the government, the laws regulating states and people, and individual rights in the construction of the United States of America. Two men stand out as instrumental to our founding principles: Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Thomas Jefferson was an educated, articulate and accomplished man from a well-respected family. He had a great understanding of farming and of the relationship between man and his environment, working diligently to balance the two for the best interest of each. He â€Å"considered himself first and always a man of the land† (Jewett, 2005). His vision of the New World was of true, idealistic freedom with limited government involvement; an educated farmer, a†¦show more content†¦As an example, in his efforts to establish a central national bank and raise desperately needed capital for the new republic, Hamilton encountered opposition from James Madison as â€Å"he could find no basis in the Constitution for a National Bank† (Tindall Shi, 2010). Thomas Jefferson further argued that the Tenth Amendment reserves to the states and the people powers not delegated by Congress (Tindall Shi, 2010). â€Å"Hamilton insisted that the power to charter corporations wa s included in the sovereignty of any government, whether or not expressly stated† (Tindall Shi, 2010). Hamilton’s powers of persuasion led to the signing of the bill by President George Washington. â€Å"By doing so, in Jefferson’s words, the president had opened up â€Å"a boundless field of power,† which in coming years would lead to a further broadening of implied powers with the approval of the Supreme Court† (Tindall Shi, 2010). In complete and total contrast to Hamilton, Jefferson, a Democratic Republican, took the Constitution as the letter of the law. He â€Å"feared tyranny† (Tindall Shi, 2010) and believed the educated, common man was the best candidate for governing himself. Thomas Jefferson â€Å"feared that the unlimited expansion of commerce and industry would produce a large class of propertyless wage laborers dependent upon others for theirShow MoreRelatedThomas Jefferson And Alexander Hamilton848 Words   |  4 PagesThomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton set the path for the two-party system of government we have today in the United States. In the 1790s, the Federalists were led by Hamilton and leading the Republicans was Thomas Jefferson (Bethel University, 2004). Many differences distinguished the two parties. The visions each person had for governing the states was compromised by the events leading up to the systems establishments and the later roles of wars, like the War of 1 812, and national organizationRead MoreAlexander Hamilton And Thomas Jefferson819 Words   |  4 Pages Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, 1755 in Nevis, British West Indies and Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, Shadwell, VA. They both grew up on plantations and had families and siblings. However, Jefferson had nine siblings while Hamilton only had his younger brother James A. Hamilton. The two men had a great adoration for reading and were brilliant. They were phenomenal writers and had many famous works. They were both founding fathers and were part of Washington’s first cabinetRead MoreThomas Jefferson And Alexander Hamilton1567 Words   |  7 PagesThomas 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 pow er. 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 endsRead MoreComparison Of Alexander Hamilton And Thomas Jefferson1213 Words   |  5 PagesAlexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were key Founding Fathers of America who contributed to its freedom and independence. Both men were influential leaders of their time whose visions for the future of the country were clearly contrasting. 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During the 1790s, rising tensions among members of George Washington’s cabinet fueled the development of two political parties, the Democratic Republicans and Republicans. At the forefront were Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, respectively. Their divergent temperaments, views on government, and perception of each other in their individual letters to George Washington on â€Å"9 September 1792† reveal the early roots of the party system, and to an extent, politica lRead MoreAlexander Hamilton Vs. Thomas Jefferson1289 Words   |  6 Pages Selina Lewis October 17, 2014 Government Ms. Bishop Alexander Hamilton vs. Thomas Jefferson During the ratification of the Constitution of 1787, the Federalist and Anti-federalist views created tensions and barriers between the two. Federalists, who supported the making of a new document, the Constitution, differed from Anti-federalists who believed that â€Å"the new system threatened liberties and failed to protect individual rights.† Anti-federalist, such as Patrick Henry, James WinthropRead MoreAlexander Hamilton Vs. Thomas Jefferson887 Words   |  4 PagesHamilton vs. Jefferson During the Revolutionary- Federalist Era, politics, parties, programs, policies, and people made an enormous difference in how the new nation should be structured and run. During this era, two men in particular championed politics and their respective parties. These two men were Alexander Hamilton, a Federalist, and Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican. Both Hamilton and Jefferson were successful college educated intellectuals and politicians who made significant contributionsRead MoreEssay on Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson1029 Words   |  5 PagesFederalist supporters, also known as Hamiltonian Federalist, were lead by Alexander Hamilton who was the Secretary of Treasury under President Washington and a well off banker in the early Republic. With allies like President Washington and John Adams, he appealed to urban elite and business merchants who agreed with Hamilton’s ideas for commercial and financial strength. Using his strong connections with his wealthy supporters, Hamilton established networks in each state’s government, mainly with New EnglandRead More The Impact on America of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson615 Words   |  3 PagesAmerica of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson 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 an