Many, like George Washington, were Federalists. This meant they wanted a strong federal government that would unite the states as one nation. Many Federalists were educated, wealthy men like those who had drawn up the Declaration of Independence. Others opposed the creation of a national government that would have power over the states. They were called Anti-Federalists.
However, in present day these parties are known as the Republican and Democratic parties. Both Jefferson and Hamilton were members of Washington’s cabinet during his presidency. Nonetheless, they had contrasting opinions on how the young nation should be governed. Although both men had a large population of followers, Hamilton’s views were most favored by the people and Jefferson’s views trailed behind. I believe the most important conflict between Hamilton and Jefferson is the issue on the interpretation of the Constitution and whether the state government or national government should hold more power.
Hamilton feared anarchy and thought in terms of order; Jefferson feared tyranny and thought in terms of freedom Hamilton pointed out that America must have credit for industrial development, commercial activity and the operations of government. It must also have the complete faith and support of the people. There were many who wished to repudiate the national debt or pay only part of it. Hamilton however insisted upon full payment and also upon a plan by which the government took over the unpaid debt of the states incurred during the Revolution. Hamilton also devised a Bank of the United States, with
Two competing political philosophies have always existed throughout the United States’ relatively short history: one seeking to increase the power of the central government, and one seeking to decrease it. During the 1800s, these two conflicting philosophies emerged in confrontations between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Thomas Jefferson promoted escalating the common man’s role in government. Alexander Hamilton, however, advocated the significance of a sturdy central government in leading the country forward. Both Thomas Jefferson’s and Andrew Hamilton’s beliefs and views helped to shape the United States into the country it is today.
There was too much conflict to agree to any change. In September of 1786 state representatives met at the Constitutional Convention led by Alexander Hamilton. The representatives were only authorized to amend the Articles of Confederation, but instead they set about writing a new constitution which gave much more power to the central government, and proposed a separation of powers leaving no member holding too much authority. This new Constitution seemed to bring the states closer to reaching consensus, but there were still disputes. Federalists, supporters of the Constitution, believed that a strong national government was the key to the survival of the colonies, while the Antifederalists, those who opposed the Constitution, thought that a powerful national government could become a tyrant and overshadow state rights, and individual liberties.
The Articles played an important role by proving a strong central government was not to be feared, it was a necessity. Following the Revolution, Americans desired to be free from burdensome taxes, to have a market economy and, most of all, not to be manipulated by a distant head of state. The former colonies existed as 13 individual republics, only tenuously as a union. The Constitution, which would not be written until 1787, declared supremacy over state laws, let the federal government tax the people and gave power to an executive. Because of this sharp contrast in ideology, it is clear the Constitution would not have been ratified immediately after the Revolution.
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.
Even though the constitution was passed, much to William Shatnire’s satisfaction, there was still a good deal of debate over whether it should be a strict or loose interpretation. Shatnire’s fellow federalists thought it should be loose and the Anti-federalists wanted it to be strict. Hamilton, just like Shatnire, believed in a loose interpretation of the Constitution, which meant that “the Constitution “implied” the power to use whatever means were “necessary and proper” to carry out its enumerated powers” (248), so that the central government could become more powerful. One situation in which William Shatnire witnessed the resulting factors of the newly ratified Constitution was a financial problem the country faced, during the first years of the new federal government, which was a time when it had hard time raising money. At first the Congress took on a tariff on imports known as the Tariff of 1789.
James Madison, the father of our constitution, provided us with probably the most important document in the history of the united states during its time.Our founding fathers, people who owned slaves and thought people of being cynical, created the constitution.Replacing the Articles of Confederation, it provided a strong central government where government power was separated and given checks and balances so that government would not get as big and powerful like britain did.Now in the twenty first century, where social structure has changed, technology has become king, and the amount of amendments to the constitution are numerous,is the constitution relevant? It is easy to say that the constitution is very old, two hundred and twenty five years old.
Hamilton strongly supported the erection of bank while Jefferson, on the other hand, argued strongly against it. President Washington accepted Hamilton’s argument and signed the bill. The difference argument presented in Jefferson’s and Hamilton’s letters to Washington regarding the constitutionality of the bank played a really important role in the United States history because it sparked the start of political parties in the States and with Hamilton’s view prevailed, set a precedent for enormous federal powers by loose comprehension of the Constitution. In his letter to President Washington, Thomas Jefferson aggressively denied the constitutionality of the bank by his strict explanation of the Constitution. Being a strong supporter for state rights, Jefferson inferred from the Tenth Amendment that any powers not listed as given to the federal government in the Constitution