Andrew Hamilton Vs Thomas Jefferson
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When George Washington appointed both Hamilton and Jefferson to his cabinet, it was obvious that there would be controversy. These two men both had very different views, and both helped to create what we practice as todays government. Though both made good points, it was Hamilton who had the right idea for government. Even now, his ideas are perfect for how current government should be run.
Hamilton understood that a strong central government would be needed to keep the fledgling country alive. In order to keep a strong government that understood the problems at hand, it needed to be run by first class, educated men. Hamilton also makes a good point in saying that, though Jeffersonians thought the rich would corrupt the government in order to profit for themselves, the rich had nothing to gain as they were already at the top of the social ladder. Whiele Hamilton was a realist, Jefferson was a romantic. He lagged behind, staying in the 1700s where farming and agriculture was what kept economy strong. Hamilton understood that industry and business were going to build the economy of the present, and he was right. Hamiltons ideas mostly supported people in the northern states because that is where economy was building. Jefferson supported southerners because that was where economy had always been. Another important point that Hamilton makes in his opinion of who should rule was that while small farmers did make up the majority of the citizens, they did not necessarily agree upon everything. The well educated men that Hamilton thought should govern would be able to understand these differences and make better choices for the common good of the people. Jefferson thought that farmers should have a greater say because they were the majority of the citizens, but these farmers only understood farming. They would not know how to deal with foreign affairs, or the debt that the country was in.
Hamiltons ideas for who should rule still hold true today. Todays government is involved with so many different things, like foreign affairs, the economy, and the environment, that the leaders must be well educated to make good, well informed decisions about what to do in each case. If we had the common, blue-collar people of today running our country, they might understand what the people want, but they would not be well informed enough to look at the big picture, and see what is best for the country as a whole.
When and Hamilton and Jefferson were in power, the Constitution had only been in effect for a few years. Not all of the kinks had been worked out of it yet, and it still needed some fine tuning. This is why Hamiltons loose constructionist ideas were better than the strict constructionist ideas of Jefferson. There obviously things in the Constitution that had been missed, or written confusingly. This is why a loose interpretation must have been taken of the Constitution at the time. Jefferson felt that it was already perfect, but it was not. The Constitution did not provide for a cabinet, political parties, or a bank, but all three of them have proven to be important parts of our country. The idea of a bank is a good example of how loose constructionist theory is important. We needed money in order to pay off the debt we had gotten from the war. If we had interpreted the Constitution as saying that a bank was unconstitutional just because it wasnt in the Constitution, we would have never been able to begin to make money