Alexander Hamilton was a man who strongly believed in a powerful central government. This means he wanted the government to rule and have all the say. Thomas Jefferson was a man who strongly believed in the union of the states with government as a humble leader. The two opposing views caused two political parties to be born, The Federalists, and The Democratic-Republican Party. The Federalists would eventually cease in 1828 and The Democratic-Republican Party would spilt and become the two political parties of today.
During Revolutionary America, two political parties came about: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republics. The Federalists believed in supported federal administration and were highly in favor of the Constitution, while the Democratic-Republicans favored the idea of extending the Revolution to everyday people. Their party names reflect their standpoints.
Hamilton’s understanding of a successful economy allowed him to make decisions that would benefit the country. As discussed in source one, Alexander Hamilton created a uniform currency and an economic plan that would assume state debts and make them federal debts. From there on, he created a national bank; in source three Hamilton states, “...[The Democratic Republicans] were determined to oppose the banking system, which would ruin the credit and honor of the Nation”, as he clearly has the nation’s best interest at heart. The Democratic Republican feared corruption, but they overlooked that their rights are protected in the Constitution and that their
Thomas Jefferson and Alexander are two of many great leaders, that helped shape the United States. Although these men were both great figures, they had opposing views to each other concerning the central and state governments.
Thomas Jefferson- one of the great American founding fathers with exquisite taste in architecture and French wine, but also known to hold a controversial set of ideas- fought frequently and strongly against the Federalists ideas before he achieved Presidency. Jefferson and the other republican democrats who followed suit held the belief that the powers of the federal government should be left strictly to what is granted to them in the Constitution. Those powers not specifically addressed in the Constitution would then be delegated to the state governments. This is to ensure that the federal government did not have too much power as they believe a country runs best under a form of self-government. While on the other corner of the ring, the Federalists believed that the newly founded country would run best if the national government was strong and powerful and in effect if the Constitution was loosely interpreted. This started a series of issues between the two opposing sides with the Federalists pretty much winning every issue. From the issue of funding the war debt, whether a bank of America should be created, to the Alien and Sedition Act; the two sides did not see eye to eye. However, when Jefferson became president, it could be argued that the same abuse of power that he criticized the Federalists to have done could be argued against his own presidency. It is more than fair to say that Jefferson was a hypocrite not only from a Federalist standpoint but also from the
The Federalists had a better belief on improving the government. They believed in ratification. They knew if you separated the powers of government under three branches, it would protect the rights of people. No one branch has more authority than the other. The Federalists were more educated while the Anti-Federalists were of poor families and less educated. They believed the Article of Confederation were ineffective. They believed the government should be strong and should protect the people.
Alexander Hamilton was one of the major promoters and supporters of this revolution. He wanted a way to repay debts and attract investors and he wanted to do this by establishing a Bank of The United States. It had a limited charter and worked with some state and commercial banks. This new system encouraged manufacturing, allowed the government to restore its credit, and gave it the ability to obtain large loans during war. It is only able to do this by monitoring the amount of money in circulation. Hamilton wanted to create public credit with a treasury system, a national bank, a mint, and increase manufacturing which would help unify the country. On the other hand, there was Jefferson, who opposed a strong central government. He argued that the “wealthy would gain at the expense of ordinary Americans and that Hamilton’s political economy would corrupt the morality of citizens and undermine the social conditions essential to republican government”(Powerpoint). The country would opt for an approach closer to Hamilton’s views. One of the first acts was the National Banking Act. This resulted in the creation of national banks would be able to purchase bonds to be deposited into the treasury. One third of the money received was invested into US securities. Originally, there was not much regulation. The National Banking Act created basic changes in the banking system and how credit was distributed. A single capital market began to emerge and there was the creation of a uniform and stable currency. This act enables creditors to gain power and it gives large-scale entrepreneurs an advantage in competing for investment capital. One major weakness of the system is that it restricts beginning entrepreneurs entry into markets because the banks need reserves, which prevents long-term
The ideals and arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists of the late eighteenth century have many similarities to the Democrats and Republicans of today. Federalists and Anti-Federalists, the first two American political parties, debated over how the country would be shaped. First when developing the Articles of Confederation, then when developing the Constitution, the two parties argued how powerful the central government should be in comparison to the states. Federalists believed in a strong federal government. They believed that to have a country that functions well, there must be one authority that can arbitrate disagreements and make decisions to move the country forward. Anti-Federalists had the opposite reasoning. They were wary
He was afraid that a central government held too much power. Power should be spread out among the individual states. He liked how the Articles of Confederation protected the rights of states and individuals from being taken away (Doc 3). “Our country is too large to have all affairs directed by a single government.” states Jefferson. Jefferson also believed that the people should run the government. He believed that the people had the ability to govern themselves. The states should allow the power to govern and make decisions in the hands of those people whose lives are most affected. He believed that the few elite men, Hamilton’s idea, might be tempted to govern for their own benefits because they hold so much power. The purpose of the government is to carry out the wishes of the people (Doc 3). Jefferson stated, “I am not those who fear the people. They, not the rich are our dependence for continued freedom.” The “common man” should be the center of the U.S. economy. Since small, independent farmers were their own bosses, Jefferson believed that they would work hard and create prosperous lives for themselves. This would allow the entire nation to prosper in whole. These individuals are self-sufficient, thus limiting the powers of the federal government. The job of the government, then, would be to keep the country safe and secure foreign threats (Doc
Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton both had very defined visions of the scope and power of the new federal government, how they saw the future of the economic development, and what the United States society should become. In my opinion Alexander Hamilton had more of an impact on the United States during the 1820’s and on contemporary government when compared to Thomas Jefferson. His policies did not strictly work during that time and many of his ideas are still seen in today’s society. Jefferson’s views and ideas on/of the national bank, higher tariffs, debt assumption, The Federalist Party, and his support of the ratification of the Constitution are all reasons in why his policies and visions came closer to becoming a reality.
Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist had different ideas did Thomas Jefferson and the Republicans. (Schultz, K. M. 203). The Federalists believed they could learn a lot from Great Britain and that the United States should be designed like England 's government. they wanted centralized bank and Federal Constitution.
I believe that political parties were developed in the United States because they allow people to make decisions based on their beliefs. Both Hamilton and Jefferson were very great men but they wanted something different with the government.
Political parties, Democratic Republicans and Federalists, started in the U.S. because of differing views of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, and the influence of newspapers.