Viewpoints of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton from 1790-1800

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Views of Jefferson and Hamilton from the year 1790-1800
Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were advisors of the US President George Washington in 1976. In his farewell meeting, George Washington had warned politicians against forming political factions for revenge purposes. Despite his warning, Jefferson and Hamilton played a pivotal role in establishing the parties that led the existence of the dual party system used up to today in the US. These two men were responsible for shaping the early national political landscape. Both Jefferson and Hamilton were figures who contributed to the US revolutionary efforts as well as in founding the United States. Hamilton served in the government as the secretary of the treasury. On the other hand, Jefferson assumed the role of Secretary of the State who was the first in the US history. Both men had visions that were contradicting about the path that the nation was to take. The objective of this writing is to evaluate the different viewpoints of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton from 1790-1800.
Jefferson thought that America’s success depended on its agrarian tradition. On the other hand, Hamilton believed in in an economic plan that would promote manufacturers and commerce for the success of United States. Hamilton disbelieved the popular will and therefore thought that it was important for the federal government to exercise a substantial power to help in steering success.

However, Jefferson had a great trust in the people and considered them to be governors of the nation. The differences in their opinions are what made President Washington choose them to be his closest advisor (Shmoop Editorial Team 1).
Alexander Hamilton wanted America to have a strong central government. He had served in the American army, and he had seen for himself the disadvantages of having a weak central government. The continental congress did not have any powers and therefore had to beg for assistance even when there was a crisis to be handled immediately. He believed that a powerful central government would help the country be successful. On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson had believed in the states having more powers. He had been an ambassador to France in the American Revolution. He was against the idea of having a strong central government. He thought that there was a danger of having a tyranny in case the central government had too much power. Jefferson believed that power should come from the bottom up. According to him, the states could unify when they thought it to be necessary. In case the national government surpassed the reckoned powers, the states had the power to invalidate the federal law. These two different political viewpoints led to the creation of America’s initial political parties (Ferling 4).
The creation of the Bank of the United States was a proposal made by Alexander Hamilton. They had the abilities to provide a national currency that was stable and also ensures that it conducted printing of the paper money. Hamilton suggested that the national bank would have been the place where the Treasury could be depositing all the monies from various states. On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson was strongly against the idea of having a centralized bank, and he regarded the issue as being against the constitution. Jefferson felt that all the states in the US had the ability and right to manage their finances without the issue of a national bank. The views of Hamilton on the issue was that the creation of the bank was necessary for prosperity in accordance with the constitution. Additionally, he was in support for the idea that the issue was permitted provided it was not forbidden in the Constitution. The elastic clause of the constitution was among the contributions of Hamilton. The views of Jefferson were that the issue of a centralized bank was not permitted in the constitution, so it was forbidden. Further, he argued that a bank of similar type was supposed to be controlled by the state which was in accordance with the 9th amendment on the items controlled by the state. Jefferson was for the idea that the constitution was supposed to be interpreted strictly and literally. The creation of the Bank of the United States happened in the year 1791 hence supporting the views of Hamilton (Cunningham 14).
The views Hamilton and Jefferson differed in matters to do with the foreign affairs. The Hamilton Federalists was formed in this period. Similarly, Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans was also formed after the end of Washington’s first term in 1793. The main source of conflict was in foreign policies especially the on matters of who to support in the French Revolution and conflict with the Britain. Initially, Hamilton’s Federalists had supported the revolution but later changed their minds on the revolution changed. On the other hand, the Democratic-Republicans who were supported by Jefferson wanted the US to fight for French in the French and British War. Hamilton was in support for neutrality during the war. The Jeffersonian felt that Americans were supposed to fight the Britain to defend the liberty of America which appeared to be affected by the Britain’s sale of firearms to the Miami Confederacy who were involved in terrorizing the Americans. On the other hand, Hamilton’s Federalists were opposed to the idea because the Britain was to contribute to economic development through trade (Ferling 12 ).
In conclusion, Jefferson and Hamilton demonstrated different views of different aspects of the American history. Hamilton believed in the economic plan while Jefferson was a strong supporter of the agrarian tradition for economic growth. Hamilton supported a strong central government while Jefferson supported the States powers. Hamilton supported the formation of Bank of the United States. Jefferson was not for the idea and asserted that states had responsibility to manage their money. Finally, Jefferson was against the Britain while Hamilton advocated for neutrality in dealing with Britain and the French. He believed that Britain was to offer support economic development of the US.
Works Cited
Cunningham, Noble E. Jefferson Vs. Hamilton: Confrontations That Shaped a Nation. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2000. Print.
Ferling, John E. . Jefferson and Hamilton: The Rivalry That Forged a Nation. 2013. Internet resource.
Shmoop Editorial Team. “Thomas Jefferson: vs. Alexander Hamilton.” Shmoop (2008). Web. 1 December 2016.