Tuesday, October 18, 2016

How did Thomas Jefferson oppose Alexander Hamilton?

Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were both influential in shaping the American political system and early government. They first worked together during Washington's presidency: Jefferson served as Washington's Secretary of State, and Hamilton served as his Secretary of the Treasury. Although they worked together in Washington's cabinet, the two men differed in their visions for the future of America and the role of the government.
Hamilton felt that the federal government should have significant power over state and local governments because he did not trust popular will, fearing it would lead to tyranny of the majority. Jefferson, on the other hand, distrusted a powerful federal government, believing that state governments and governors should mostly be left to make their own laws and policies. In addition, Hamilton felt that commerce and manufacturing should be the economic focus of the new nation, whereas Jefferson believed that America's future lay in becoming an agrarian nation of independent, land-owning farmers. These economic differences were manifested in the debate over Hamilton's financial plans in 1791. Hamilton proposed a plan to Congress that included tariffs (taxes on imports) to help protect and encourage American manufacturing and a national bank that would assume the states' debts and oversee public credit. Jefferson fiercely opposed Hamilton's plan, believing it gave too much power to the federal government at the expense of the state governments. Despite this opposition, Hamilton's Bank of the United States was created in 1792. By the time Washington left office in 1796, the differences between Hamilton and Jefferson started to form the nation's first political parties, with Hamilton and John Adams leading the Federalists and Jefferson leading the Democratic-Republicans, or simply Republicans.
http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/outlines/history-2005/the-formation-of-a-national-government/hamilton-vs-jefferson.php

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