Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were completely at odds in their vision on how America was to develop. Hamilton wanted to concentrate power in a centralized federal government with limited access and Jefferson wished to diffuse it among all the eligible freemen of the time. Alexander Hamilton feared anarchy and distrusted popular rule while Jefferson feared tyranny and thought in terms of liberty and freedom.
Thomas Jefferson was an agrarian soul who favored popular rule. He placed his trust in the land and the people who farmed it and desired that America would remain a nation of farmers. He emphasized liberty, democracy, and social welfare and believed that the main purpose of government was to assure freedom of its individual citizens. He had a fear of tyranny and distrusted centralized power, especially from an aristocracy or a moneyed class. Thomas Jefferson favored the sp
Out of the divergent political philosophies of the two men came the first clearly defined political parties. These helped shape the nation by polarizing and unifying the electorate at the same time while providing a stability that helped this nation endure and prosper. The conflict between Jeffersonian and Hamiltonian ideas has continued out through to our present day issues. Generally, the American economy has prospered in the Hamiltonian way encouraging capitalism, while our political institutions and social aims are Jeffersonian in nature. It seems that the wisdom of the 18th century has endured clear through to the 21st. The present day issues are not all that dissimilar.
Alexander Hamilton, on the other side, distrusted popular rule and emphasized law, order, authority and property. Alexander Hamilton wanted to promote commerce and industry through a strong central government. He
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