Jeffersonian Vs. Hamiltonian Ideas

Jeffersonian vs. Hamiltonian Ideas

Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were two people that were part of America’s first political party. These two gentlemen had two very different ideas of how America should run and how it should grow. Hamilton was a supporter of a strong central government, a united government. Hamilton believed that America needed to have a strong government to bring up the economy and pay off its debts. Jefferson on the other hand was in favor of a weak central government. He believed that the states needed to have more political power. Hamilton believed in a commercial/industrial economy. Thomas Jefferson didn’t agree. Jefferson believed in an agricultural economy. Although Jefferson wasn’t religious, he was known to have said “Farmers are the chosen people by God.” Hamilton was an admirer of the British. He wanted to learn from them and become better than what they were.

Hamilton didn’t take the Constitution verbatim Jefferson on the other hand did. We can see examples of this in their disputes between policy approvals. Hamilton wanted to have the debt paid off immediately. One of his propositions in doing so was to take the state debts onto the government. Jefferson objected, stating that not all state debts were equal. Both of these policies were passed. Hamilton later then proposed creating a Bank of the United States. Jefferson opposed, stating that the bank would favor the rich and stated that nowhere in the constitution was there anything stated of a National Bank. This proposal was also passed. Hamilton believed that one of the ways to help start paying off the debs was to place taxes on certain goods. Jefferson opposed and we later find out that there was a rebellion against the tax on whisky known as the Whisky Rebellion of 94.

These two sets of ideas that these gentlemen had would split the parties into two sections. The “Hamiltonians” would be part of