Jefferson and Hamiltonian Policies

Dasmen Richards

October 10th, 2012

1st Period

Take-Home Essay #3

The Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian movements were totally in every aspect. One wanted a more strong government but the other felt the government should just stay strong in the states. Also, Jefferson felt the states should have more power but Hamilton thought that the federal government should have the most power. Economically, Hamilton wanted America to become more industrialized; however, Jefferson felt that the economy could prosper just with agriculture.

Both founders foresaw the new nation as a great future power, and both had very different maps of how to get it there. Jefferson believed the nation's strength lay in its agricultural roots. He favored an agrarian nation with most powers reserved for the states. He was very opposed to a strong central authority and believed that the people were the final authority in government. Jefferson wanted the government to be ruled by small landowners. Jefferson also wanted a strict reading of the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson believed that the federal government was one with limited powers, specifically, only those enumerated in the Constitution and that state governments retained all other powers. The Tenth Amendment stated that all powers not delegated to the United States nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states or the people. Jefferson also encouraged active support for the French Revolution. Hamilton favored a strong central authority. He believed a strong government was necessary to provide order so that business and industry could grow. He envisioned America becoming an industrial power. To this end he sought to establish a national bank and fund the national debt in order to establish firm base for national credit. Hamilton believed that the government should be run by those who were educated and wealthy rather than by "the mob." Hamilton also wanted the Constitution to be "loosely" read. Hamilton believed the federal government had all powers necessary and proper to carry out the powers enumerated in the Constitution. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18 says Congress has power to make all laws necessary and proper for carrying out execution of the enumerated powers. He opposed involvement in the French Revolution and worried Jeffersonian by appearing, and maybe even being, too cozy with Britain.

The creation of a Bank of the United States raised a serious constitutional question. The defenders of the bank cited how the creation of the bank cited the elastic clause as their "loose" constitutional justification ("necessary and proper") for creating this financial institution, opponents, such as Jefferson, claimed in their "strict" interpretation of the Constitution that there was nothing "necessary" about the creation of the bank. The Bank, he argued about, was certainly necessary for maintaining the nation's financial stability and so was indeed constitutional. Hamilton also envisioned a government program that had as its precise objective the growth and development of manufacturing. It was accomplished