Hamilton vs Jefferson

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Founding Fathers with Opposing Views- Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson Everyone knows that our country was built on the basic principles of freedom. They are aware that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are the building blocks of our nations government. What most people are not aware of however is that two of our nations most prominent and important founders Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, bitterly disagreed over the direction and fate of the country. They held opposing views on everything from how the Constitution should be interpreted and where the capitol of our country should be located to how our national monies should be handled. Their differing upbringing and different paths to political careers, made them see the colonies and their ‘natural’ rights in completely different ways. This caused a split in the political parties as early as John Adams’ presidency and began the division of ‘North’ and ‘South’ long before the Civil War. Alexander Hamilton was born in the British West Indies to Rachel Lavian and James Hamilton. He was orphaned at the age of 13 and taken in by a Dutch family, the Crugers, who owned a mercantile house where they set him to become an apprentice. Hamilton showed a great deal of promise in his young life, probably due to the fact that he was an avid reader and was a self-taught scholar. The Crugers recognized his talent and trusted to put him in charge of their business at the age of 14. Later, due to his intelligent and inquisitive mind, the Crugers and several other families in the West Indies banded together to collect money and sent him off to the Americas to attend school. Although he began his education in Boston, in 1774 he enrolled at Kings College (now known as Columbia), which was located in lower Manhattan at the time. In 1780, he married Elizabeth Schuyler in Albany, NY who was the

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