Hamilton vs. Jefferson

THE RISE OF POLITICAL PARTIES

Alexander Hamilton•He was born out of wedlock in the British West Indies.•Orphaned at an early age• Benefactors provided him with money to study in New York at King’s College aka Columbia University• Served as Washington's aide de camp during the Revolutionary War•Drafted the Federalist Papers with James Madison and John Jay• First Secretary of the Treasury

Thomas Jefferson

• He was born to wealthy parents in Virginia.• Jefferson had a relatively sheltered upbringing.• Studied at William & Mary College• Served in the House of Burgesses & the Continental Congress• Drafted the Declaration of Independence• American Founding Father• Served as Ambassador to France during the late 1780s• First Secretary of State• 3rd President of the United States

Federalist Beliefs(former Anti-Federalists)

Democratic-Republicans

Leader

Appealed to

Alexander HamiltonJohn Adams

Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Patrick Henry

Manufacturers, merchants, wealthy and educated….Favored seaboard cities

Farmers and Planterscommon manFavored the South and West

Ideas of Government

Strong government over statesLoose Construction of Constitution

• Implied powersWealthy and educated involvedLimit freedoms of speech & pressPreferred govt. similar to a king

State’s rights over National Govt.Strict construction of Constitution• Expressed/Enumerated powersCommon man but educatedBill of Rights is sacredLesser government the better

DomesticPolicy

Supported National Bank—BUSSupported excise taxNational debt good for countryNational govt. assume state debtsTariffs should be high

Against National Bank—BUSAgainst excise tax Against National debtStates pay their own debtsTariffs should be low

ForeignPolicy

Opposed French RevolutionWanted war with FrenchFavored the British

Supported French RevolutionOpposed war with FrenchFavored the French

political

Federalist Papers• Series of 85 essays or articles promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution•Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay.• The authors of The Federalist Papers wanted both to influence the vote in favor of ratification and to shape future interpretations of the Constitution.• Another purpose that The Federalist was supposed to serve was as a debater's handbook during the ratification controversy, and indeed advocates for the Constitution in the conventions in New York and Virginia used the essays for precisely that purpose.• The Federalist Papers are known for their opposition of The Bill of Rights.• After initialing writing the Federalist Papers, James Madison later aligned himself with Thomas Jefferson as an anti-federalist.

Philosophical Differences

• Hamilton distrusted the masses, favored government by self-made men (elites)• Believed that Americans

would become an Industrial/ Commercial power• Supported strong central

government to preserve order and secure liberties• Argued for “Loose”

interpretation of the Constitution to give the central government power to deal with challenges

• Jefferson placed confidence in the “common man” (to an extent)• Believed that America should

be an Agrarian republic of “virtuous citizen farmers”• Distrusted centralized

government-favored state rights and individual liberties• Argued for “strict”

interpretation of the Constitution to limit national power and preserve liberty

Hamilton Jefferson

Economic Differences

• Hamilton’s financial plan aimed to put the country on a strong economic footing

1. Funding of national debt and assumption of the state debts

2. Tariffs and excise taxes to provide national revenue and to protect “infant” industries

3. Central Bank to provide a source of credit and a safe place for federal deposits

• Jefferson criticized Hamilton’s plan as a means of consolidating the financial power of the elite• Challenged funding of debt

because benefited speculators, not the original purchasers• Considered assumption of

state debts unfair because benefited northern states more• Tariffs and a central bank

also tended to help northern, urban interests at the expense of southern, rural Americans

Hamilton Jefferson

The Compromise of 1790• Congress refused to pass Hamilton’s assumption plan because of opposition by James Madison and other southerners• Jefferson invited Hamilton and Madison to dinner at his townhouse in New York City to work out a compromise• Madison would support the assumption in exchange for Hamilton’s pledge to support the choice of the Potomac as the site for the nations permanent capital.• Once an ally to Hamilton in the ratification debate,

Madison distrusted his views on executive

powers.

Foreign Policy

• Hamiltonian federalist distrusted the radicalism of the French Revolution and sought to emulate the British system of strong banks and commerce

• Washington declared formal neutrality in 1793 to avoid involvement in European crisis

• Supported the Jay Treaty in 1794 which made concessions to Britain on trade issues but also avoided war

• Jeffersonian republicans embraced the French Revolution and argued that Americans should remain loyal to their ally• Jefferson officially supported

neutrality but was attacked for his continued support of revolutionary France, he resigned from George Washington’s cabinet in 1793• Republicans criticized the Jay

Treaty as a “sell out” to the British

Hamilton Jefferson

Use of National Power: The Whiskey Rebellion•Western Pennsylvania farmers rebelled against the high excise tax on whiskey in 1794•Washington responded by calling out the military to put down the rebellion• Federalist argued that National power must be asserted to demonstrate the new country’s stability and to make the point that challenges to government policy must be peaceful•Washington led 15,000 militia into Western Pennsylvania, the only time that a sitting President has led his troops into action

Washington’s Farewell Address•Washington warned against both factionalism and “foreign entanglements” in his last published addressed as President in 1796• He was especially concerned with the emerging split between the Federalists led by Hamilton and Adams and the Republicans led by Jefferson and Madison would split the country apart along sectional lines• The election of 1796 was the first two party election in US history; John Adams won but Jefferson became Vice President.

Quasi War and Alien & Sedition Acts• By 1797, the French had intercepted American vessels seeking to trade with Britain• “XYZ Affair”- American officials sent to negotiate with the French were expected to pay a bribe• American outrage led to an undeclared naval war with France (the Quasi War)• The Federalist controlled Congress cracked down on dissent with the Alien & Sedition Act.

Alien Act – Aimed at non-citizens. Lengthened the time from 5 to 14 years that it took for an immigrant to become a citizen and have a right to vote since most immigrants voted Republican. It also allowed the President to jail or deport aliens that the administration thought were causing trouble.

Sedition Act – Made encouraging rebellion against the government a crime including printing, writing, or speech making

States’ Rights & The Election of 1800• Jefferson and the Republicans responded with charges that the Federalist were abusing liberties under the First Amendment• Madison and Jefferson drafted the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions which argued that the States’ had the power of both interposition and nullification (the heart of States’ Rights Doctrine) to defend the rights of the people.• Republicans used the issue to help win the election of 1800 which was the first peaceful transfer of power between political parties in American History