Jefferson Vs Hamilton

436 Words2 Pages
At the dawn of the American Republic, two great men stood above all others; Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, both of whom had very different visions for the future of America. Jefferson, the main writer of the Declaration of Independence, diplomat, Secretary of State, and future President wanted the nation to have a weak national government, an agrarian economy, and universal education. Hamilton, aide of Washington and the first Treasury of Secretary, wanted a strong national government, a mixed economy, and a limited education system. During the late 1700s the majority of Americans were farmers. The young economy relied heavily on agriculture, with little true industry or trade present. The national government was still in its’ infancy a few years after the ratification of the Constitution, the state and local governments were still very young. Jefferson liked how things were, and preferred that the nation kept its’ agrarian economy and society. Hamilton believed that without the development of cities and industries there would not be a trade industry which would allow the farmers to trade and prosper. He believed that industry needed to grow and encouraged commerce because it would provide all the revenues it needed. Considering how things are today, the outcome of the nation’s history was mostly in favor of Hamilton’s ideals. The nation’s economy is mixed, with agriculture working alongside industry and trade. Today’s national government is a strong, omnipresent body with authority that overrules the powers of the states, regulates the mixed economy and education. The only exception to this would be universal education, but this would prove to make the nation only stronger. If the two were to somehow brought back to life, Hamilton would be proud of the new nation that he helped give birth to, while Jefferson would be greatly disappointed, due to
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