Hamilton Vs Jefferson Essay

Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were two of the most politically influential men involved in building the new American government. They both agreed on creating a strong government, but disagreed on where the supreme power should be located. Hamilton wanted a strong central government, while Jefferson wanted strong state governments. Alexander Hamilton was a man who represented the Federalists. Some of his contributions consist of The Federalist Papers1, the Report on Public Credit2, and the creation of the national bank. Each of these was used to strengthen the central government. The Federalist Papers were 85 highly persuasive essays explaining each provision of the Constitution and the key element in its campaign. Hamilton’s Report on Public Credit analyzed the financial standing, reorganized the national debt, and established the public credit. The national bank was a creation of Hamilton’s for the government to deposit funds (taxes), print U.S. currency, and regulate all state banks. Thomas Jefferson was a man who represented the Demcratic-Republicans. Some of his contributions consist of the Articles of Confederation3, and the Notes on the State of Virginia4. The Articles of Confederation established the national government in 1777 and was used to weaken the central government in order to strengthen the individual state powered governments. As the Notes on the State of Virginia was Jefferson stating how America would remain strong if they remained to their rural roots. Although they were very different, Hamilton and Jefferson shared a few similarities. They both had the same views for the new American country: a free country ran by its own people, as well as, restoring the national debt. They saw that America needed a government to lead the country, but disagreed on where the power should be located. Hamilton believed in a strong central government as Jefferson wanted the states to have all the power. The complication of national