Transcript Aim: How did the political philosophies of Thomas

Aim: How did the political philosophies of Thomas
Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton differ?
• Do Now: Copy the Vocabulary
• Federalist: a member of a former political party in the U.S.
that favored a strong centralized federal government
• Loose Constructionist: a more open approach to the
Constitution. The Government can assume certain rights in
doing things not mentioned in the Constitution
• Strict Constructionist: The Government can do things only
mentioned in the Constitution
• Thomas Jefferson: organized the Democratic-Republican
Party to oppose the Federalist Party.
• Alexander Hamilton: leader of the Federalists; as the first
Secretary of the Treasury he established a National Bank
Who wrote it?
...I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this
ground: that all powers not delegated to the United States,
by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it the states, or the
people (XII amend). To take a simple step beyond the
boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of the
Congress, is to take possession of a boundless field of
power, no longer susceptible of any definition.
The incorporation of a bank, and the powers assumed by
this bill, have not, in my opinion, been delegated to the
United States by the Constitution.
• Who wrote this statement?
• Summarize in one sentence what point the speaker is
conveying?
Who wrote it?
“Constitutions should consist of only general
provisions, the reason is that they must necessarily
be permanent, and they cannot calculate for the
possible change of things?”
• Who wrote this statement?
• What is the speaker’s view of the role of government?
Why are Hamilton and Jefferson arguing?
How would a federalist feel about this argument?
Do these people look happy or mad?
Now that President Washington is in
office…
• It’s time to fix the economy
• What’s the problem?
– Our government had a national debt of $81.5
million dollars!
• Amount of $ owed by our country to other people
– Foreign countries
– Citizens we borrowed money from
– What happens if we don’t pay these people back?
Debate over Paying off debt owed by States
from the American Revolution
Alexander Hamilton
• Argued that government
should pay states debt off
Thomas Jefferson
• Felt each state should pay
back their part of the bill
• Why?
• Why?
– We all fought for freedom.
• So, our federal government
should pay the bill.
– Some states owed a lot!
• Massachusetts
• New York
– Some did not owe much at all
• Virginia
• North Carolina
Political Parties
Political parties are as old as the Constitution itself,
however the document makes no rules to govern
them. The first political parties arose from the
debates over Constitutional ratification (the
Federalists Party lead by Alexander Hamilton and
the Democratic-Republicans headed by Thomas
Jefferson). It quickly became clear that political
parties were to be the major forces in shaping
American politics and by necessity rules and laws
were established for their regulation, with no basis
in the Constitution.
Jefferson vs. Hamilton
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The class will be divided into 2 groups
1) Jefferson
2) Hamilton
Read the document
After…we will fill out the Venn diagram as a
class
Debate over Role of Government
Hamilton
• Had little faith in the average
citizen
– Said they could not be trusted
to do the right thing.
Jefferson
• Had a lot of faith in the
average citizen
– Said they should govern
themselves
– Why?
• Because the average American
does not take education
seriously
– They take politics even less
seriously
• So, you need a large
government
– Job = protect the liberties of all
citizens equally
– Said they would educate
themselves and do what is right
• So, government needs to be
small
– Job = stay out of the way
Debate over how the Economy should
grow
Hamilton
• Government should give
“stimulus” money to
American entrepreneurs
– Why?
Jefferson
• Government should stay out
of the economies way
– Why?
• America is made up of farmers!
– They know how to do it
themselves!
» Don’t need any help!
• So they could start their own
factories and businesses
– Hire people
– Make products here in USA
• Government should pass
protective tariffs
– Tax on goods from other
countries
• Tariffs should remain low
– Why?
• Keep price of goods lower.
– Helps citizens be able to
afford them
Debate over a national bank
Hamilton
• Wanted to start a national
bank.
– Why?
• So that the government can
make their own money
– No more state money
• What is the big deal?
– Federal government would own
all of the money in America!
– Not each individual state
Jefferson
• Hated the idea of a national
bank
– Why?
• Some states are richer than
others
– They would lose this power if
the federal government
owned all of the money
• What is the big deal?
– The Constitution does not give
the government the right to
make a bank anyways….
• Or does it?