Hamiltons and Jefferson's political philosophy - Essay Example

?After the creation of the United s of America in 1776 and the election of George Washington in 1789, there was a fierce battle in the s about the role that a government should play in domestic and foreign policies of the country. There were two camps who came head to head over advocating different ideologies; on one side there was Alexander Hamilton, the secretary of treasury under Washington who advocated a strong centralized government, while on the other hand there was Thomas Jefferson, the secretary of state under Washington and the third President of the U.S. who was against a centralized government and favored a republican government that would have more to do with foreign affairs and less with the laws that have been imposed in any state of the country. This collision of ideologies started in the 1790’s after George Washington became the first president. Both the men represented different ideologies, keeping in mind the important factor that both men are considered among the founding fathers of United States. Alexander Hamilton represented the urban elite of the states while Jefferson represented the rural agrarian populace, mostly the Southern States of the newly founded country. According to George Washington, The republican is the only form of government which is not eternally at open or secret war with the rights of mankind. (Jaffa 397) Jefferson opposed a centralized form of government feeling that it would threaten the notions of freedom laid down by the Constitution. Jefferson did everything that was in his power to make sure that America did not become the “new” England under King George III, which would be disastrous to the cause of the revolution on which basis the American nation had been founded. Alexander Hamilton had a different point of view. Alexander Hamilton could be considered an elitist who advocated that rich and well-born are the chosen ones to rule the country (Nagel 76). Alexander Hamilton believed that a country like America would not survive if it gives too much freedom to its states as doing that would mean fueling their desire of their own independence. Hamilton was like a deputy to George Washington and was quite effective in formulating the policy of incorporation of centralized government in the United States. According to Hamilton, I believe the British government forms the best model the world has ever produced...This government has for its object public strength and individual security. (Pollard 69) He viewed the British form of government in the exact opposite context as was seen by Thomas Jefferson. Hamilton was accepting the good points of a centralized government point of view in the British form of government against the bad points of freedom laid down by the same government. The section of the U.S. politics from which Hamilton originated was very concerned with the survival of the 13 states that made up the United States of America back in that time, regardless of what the role of government was defined. However, he was quite sure that the vision put forward by Thomas Jefferson, a republican form of government, was in no way practical for the survival of states. Jefferson interpreted the constitution as sacred text that defines the rights of the government. According to Jefferson the government shall be defined in the following way: "Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." (Baghatur 239) He wanted to prove Hamilton wrong who proclaimed that a government with limited powers will not be able to guarantee the survival of the United States. Jefferson thought that Hamilton wanted to establish a monarchy in the states (Humes 18). Jefferson was not a staunch anti-centralized government statesman but he preferred that within the context of foreign policy only the government should be fully involved, while on the other hand Hamilton wanted a Federal government which will have a say in anything the state government does, also having the veto power if any state violates the foundation which affects the communion of 13 states of the United States. Hamilton proclaimed that, The right of parliament to legislate for us cannot be accounted for upon any reasonable grounds. The constitution of Great Britain is very properly called a limited monarchy, the people having reserved to themselves a share in the legislature, as a check upon the regal authority, to prevent its degenerating into despotism and tyranny. (Hamilton 48) After calls from the federalist to President John Adams regarding the declaration of war on France, Hamilton was afraid that the role defined of the federal government would again create conflict among his cabinet and would be a decisive factor for the role of government during his tenure. John Adams knew that the decision makers of the country are now divided into two camps; Jefferson representing the camp of anti-central government and Hamilton representing the camp of pro-central government. President Adams did not want to divide the decision makers because doing so would effectively mean dividing the country. As already mentioned before, although not a big supporter of a strong central government who exercised influence much more than desired, Jefferson eventually did come around to accept the constitutional document (which he had not co-authored despite being a founding father of the United States) and gave his lukewarm endorsement to the draft only after the “Bill of Rights” was passed. This eventually became the first ten amendments of the constitutional package (Humes 18). And this led to a temporary closing of the chapter of the role of government in the U.S. politics, until in 1992, when the article 2 of the bill of rights which dealt with apportionment was also ratified which is now known as the 27th amendment (Ingelhart 41). Although Jefferson and Hamilton collided on the role of government since the presidency of George Washington, Jefferson would eventually agree with Hamilton on a strong central government after individual freedoms were secured with the Bill of Rights. Their conflict arose only because Jefferson thought of the American Nation from the viewpoint of freedom as without freedom that basic foundation of the United States would be useless. Conversely, Hamilton thought of the U.S. from the viewpoint of a statesman, who was unwilling to take any risk with the newly born United States. Also, with wars that were in sight, like the war with France, and deteriorating relations with England, he was not willing to take risks with the untested concept of an uncentralized or restricted federal government. Hamilton’s political philosophy emerged as the dominant force in shaping the government’s policies. Works Cited Baghatur, Mao Tun. Meaning of Life & Good Old Boys Club. New York: Lulu.com, 2005. Hamilton, Alexander. The Works of Alexander Hamilton: Miscellanies, 1774-1789: A full vindication. University of Michigan, 1850. Humes, James C. My fellow Americans: presidential addresses that shaped history. New York: Greenwood Publishing Limited, 1992. Ingelhart, Louis Edward. Press and speech freedoms in America, 1619-1995: a chronology. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group , 1997. Jaffa, Harry V. A New Birth of Freedom: Abraham Lincoln and the Coming of the Civil War. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Limited, 2000. Nagel, Paul C. Descent from glory: four generations of the John Adams family. New York: Harvard University Press, 1983. Pollard, A. F. Factors in American History. London: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Read More