Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton are both founding fathers of America. Thomas Jefferson is famous for having written the Declaration of Independence of America. He also became a president of the United States, after having been governor of Virginia and its first representative to Continental Congress. Alexander Hamilton contributed to America’s founding through his writing of the, ‘A Full Vindication of the Measure of Congress.’ This was crucial in negotiating the embargo trade proposal of Britain. On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson is also remembered for coining the phrase that all men have, ‘certain inalienable rights.’
Ideological and Practical Similarities
Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton both contributed greatly to the foundation of America given their political ideologies, which aimed at creating a great nation. Hamilton and Jefferson were pioneers of the Federalists which along with the Republicans were the first political parties in the United States and the general western world. These men saw the need for a democratic system of government even for an infantine America, just shortly after it had attained independence from Britain. Jefferson and Hamilton both wanted to give the nation a structure that would empower the people of America and create a productive nation where the government’s power was constitutional, and not absolute. Both of them favored the only the absolutism of the rule of law over tyrannical or anarchical misrule (Banning 2012).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The two leaders were both highly educated and had convictions driven by this enlightenment. They were quite philosophical about life and the state of America and made use of such opinions to create policies for the new nations. They provided the basis of two political parties and their fundamental ideologies. Furthermore, both Jefferson and Hamilton believed in the essence of education as a strong national foundation and for that reason, both founded institutions of higher learning-the University of Virginia and the Hamilton College. They did create their policy on the grounds of deep humility and even though the thoughts of Hamilton sounded haughty, the man was quite elusive in his personal life. Jefferson decided not to have his presidency engraved on his epitaph arguing that it was not necessary to praise him for his accomplishments (Banning, 2012).
Ideological and Practical Differences
Hamilton’s ideologies revolved around effective government-driven, industrial growth and economic prosperity for the US. He asserted that a stable currency was the way to bring America to economic success (Banning 2012). His, was a practical approach that provided solutions and executed them. It is Hamilton that brought the US to the point of clearing its confederate debt-burden, all at once instead of waiting for it to pile up and fiscally trouble the nation in the coming years.
Contrary to the approaches of Hamilton, Jefferson’s approach showed less faith in banks and insisted on agricultural growth in America. This leader did not support commercialization and industrialization as much as he did the farmers of rural America (Banning 2012). While Hamilton encouraged the centralization of power with government organs whilst Jefferson thought of state power in terms of personal freedom. The latter feared the possibility of a dictatorship and sought to better individuals through enabling and empowering farmers to become self-sufficient and less dependent on the government.
When Hamilton suggested the establishment of a federal bank, Jefferson contrasted this opinion by pointing out that such an institution would deny the people economic power and put them in the hands of individual leaders controlling the entire system under the guise of organized banking. This difference between the two men brought America to a time of political maturity since it is such a beginning that paved way for a government influenced both by republican and democratic views. It allowed Americans to choose freely what they thought would be best for their nation thus democracy (Banning 2012).
Conclusion
Taken in context, Thomas Jefferson’s philosophies and his actions were an indication of the struggle of America from a time of darkness into one of greater freedom. Such transient thinking opens up one’s mind to the realization that Hamilton’s ideologies, even though they might have been viewed a little too radical, were in fact visionary as well as progressive. It is right to conclude that Jefferson was the symbol of a changing America while Hamilton was the symbol of determination and the success arising from such change.
Reference
Banning, L. (2012). Jeffersonian ideology revisited: liberal and classical ideas in the new American republic. The William and Mary Quarterly: A Magazine of Early American History and Culture , 4-19.
