Political Disagreements Between Hamilton and Jefferson

The philosophical and political beliefs of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were very different from one another. On one side you had a man who believed a stronger centralized government was necessary to maintain a balanced society and the other felt states’ rights were vital to the success of America. These differences of opinion resulted in the creation of the first two American political parties, the Federalists and the Democrat-Republicans. Alexander Hamilton was a man whose unquestioned genius made his stance for his country appeared to some as though he favored it more than the countrymen. Washington’s Secretary of the Treasury shaped the nation’s economy around the wealthy class. His idea was that the propertied class would fatten, thereby allowing their new wealth to trickle down to the masses. Evidence of such genius was seen in his use of assumption. This idea allowed the states debts to be regarded as a national obligation. By doing this, it would alleviate some of the debt for those states with great debt, hence making the federal economy stronger and unified. Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State, believed in the strength of the states as opposed to a centralized government. Much of the old school and revolutionary school of thought, Jefferson didn’t favor Hamilton’s fiscal policies at all. This clash of philosophies erupted into the creation of political parties, founded upon those very principles each man was campaigning so vigorously for and against.

Federalists and Democrat-Republicans emerged from the debate between Hamilton and Jefferson. Those who favored the centralized government (Federalists) featured the ideology of being ruled by the best people. By this, they were not in favor of extending the raw ideals of democracy and thereby had a loose interpretation of the Constitution. The powerful central government they promoted was paid for at the expense of states’ rights. By utilizing a tariff and the British, the government...