George Washington Influence Essay

500 Words2 Pages
The people someone chooses to surround themselves with influence their lives more than they might realize. This is especially true in the case of how much Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson influenced George Washington’s presidency. During George Washington’s two terms of office from 1789-1797, Alexander Hamilton, the Secretary of Treasury, and Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State, were very influential men. However, Alexander Hamilton influenced George Washington and his presidency more than Thomas Jefferson did. President Washington followed Hamilton’s suggestions of assumption of the national debt, creating a national bank, and the crushing of the Whiskey Rebellion. One reason that Alexander Hamilton was more influential to George Washington’s presidency than Thomas Jefferson was that he convinced Washington to have the federal government assume the national debt. Hamilton, a financial wizard, believed that debt should be kept in order to establish better credit. Jefferson, always his opponent, believed that debt should be disposed of as quickly as possible. George Washington sided with Hamilton because it made fiscal sense; the assumption of the state debts strengthened the central government and gave it the support of the wealthy, and was approved by Congress in 1790. George Washington’s agreement to the assumption of the national debt made Alexander Hamilton more of an influence than Thomas Jefferson. Another reason that Alexander Hamilton was more influential to George Washington’s presidency than Thomas Jefferson was that Washington followed his suggestion in the formation of a national bank. Hamilton believed that a national bank would boost the economy and regulate currency, but Jefferson thought such an operation was unconstitutional. Despite Jefferson’s disagreement, Congress created the Bank of the United States in 1791. The bank was
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