The people are perfectly trustworthy, and they should be allowed to hear everything that is true and false, and then make a correct judgment. If I were to decide whether we should have a government and not a newspaper, or whether we should have a newspaper and not a government, I would not hesitate to choose the latter.
--Thomas. Jefferson
In 1783, the smoke of the American Revolutionary War had just dissipated. But America's founding fathers didn't last long to enjoy the joy of victory. They knew that the real purpose of the war was not only to drive out the mighty British government, but also to create a new type of state that was very different from the Old World.
The reason why they rebelled against Britain was that britain did not respect their rights and freedoms, the Boston tea pouring incident was only a superficial fuse, and what the Americans really hated was not the British government raising taxes, but the British government raising taxes without their consent, and depriving them of the right to sell private tea. The Americans firmly believed that no representation was not taxed, and since there were no colonies in the British Parliament, all the laws of the British government against the colonies were illegal and invalid. Since the home country has not given them equal citizenship, they do not have to be responsible for the home country.
Because of the almost paranoid pursuit of freedom, Americans have a natural fear of big government, so the initial discussion of American leaders was on how to limit the power of government, how to prevent the emergence of a government as strong and arbitrary as the British government, and for this reason they were willing to sacrifice the efficiency of government.
Among them, the most extreme anti-governmentist is Thomas. Jefferson, who was the first secretary of state and the third president of the United States, had his biggest quote: If I had to choose between a newspaper and a government, I would not hesitate to choose the former. In Jefferson's view, the central government itself was an evil being, and the United States should be an agrarian country with a high degree of autonomy by the states.
And another leader, Alexander. Hamilton, the first U.S. Treasury secretary, disagreed, arguing that sooner or later the world of the future would be the domain of industry and commerce, and that business and industry needed a strong government, and a country needed diplomacy and finances, all of which needed an efficient central government to rule.
Jefferson and Hamilton had diametrically opposed views, and the two of them engaged in a fierce confrontation. The outcome of their arguments determines the future history of the United States.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" >, industry and commerce are important or agriculture is important
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Hamilton's first disagreement with Jefferson was their view of the U.S. economy.
Hamilton firmly believes that in the near future, industry and commerce, especially industry, will become the main pillars of the economy. Although 90 percent of the population of the newly independent United States is agricultural, and less than 5 percent of the population lives in cities, the entire country's economic backbone is entirely dependent on agriculture. But Hamilton remained convinced that america of the future would be a commercial republic driven by manufacturing, trade, and urbanization.
(Hamilton, the preeminent U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, later died in a duel)
Hamilton was convinced that America's survival depended on building a strong manufacturing industry. A strong manufacturing industry can build a strong military for the United States to protect himself, at the same time, manufacturing will also drive the development of the economy, and the rapid progress of productivity will accelerate the prosperity of the country.
Hamilton mentioned in the Federalist Papers that a business-based republic could reap more success, that bankers could put money into the most efficient areas, and that entrepreneurs could invent new machines. Economic development will also contribute to the progress of social character – farmers who were previously restricted by birth and could only work in the fields will be given the opportunity to fully develop their individual abilities.
He once wrote: "When a society has all the industries imaginable, everyone can find a job in it that suits them, and make the most of their potential to engage in professional work."
Jefferson, on the other hand, thought Hamilton was utter nonsense, arguing that America's greatest advantage was its vast land, which constantly attracted peasants to work, and peasant labor prospered the country. He even said: "The peasants are the noblest and most virtuous group, and it is those who make history who toil in the dirt, not gentlemen on horses." He believed that the success of the United States depended on the noble virtues and self-discipline of the self-employed peasants, that an autonomous society composed of countless rural areas was the model of the United States, and that Hamilton's industry and commerce would only destroy the countryside and produce large cities, and that urban life had always been depraved, and he even called the citizens of the cities harmful mobs.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > second, strong government or weak government
Because of their different views on the economy, this directly led to the two people's views on the government also very different.
The development of industry and commerce is far more complicated than the development of agriculture, and it requires the government to play a greater role, it needs the government to issue currency, regulate the economy, negotiate with foreign countries, negotiate tariffs, and ensure the smooth flow of trade. The development of manufacturing requires strong government protection of private property and intellectual property rights. At the same time, the circulation of industry and commerce requires the government to build a strong infrastructure.
The industrial nature of industry and commerce determines that the United States needs a strong central government, so Hamilton's political views are almost entirely about how to build a strong and efficient central government, including: establishing a central bank on the model of the Bank of England and managing a strong monetary system; increasing fiscal revenue by imposing tariffs; building a unified market to encourage the division of labor in society; and having an "energetic executive" to strengthen the enforcement of business standards. These are quite far-sighted initiatives that have an immeasurable effect on strengthening the national strength of the United States and promoting the modernization of the United States.
Although Hamilton's plan was perfect, Jefferson scoffed at it, believing that Hamilton's actions were tantamount to tyranny, repeating the atrocities of the British, and he was convinced that Hamilton's policies would only give the government and speculative merchants more and more power and put them above the people, and eventually they would enslave the whole country. He believed that the United States should maintain its pre-independence status, and even continue to strengthen the power of the states, and his ideal Of the United States was an agricultural country with self-cultivation as the cornerstone and a high degree of autonomy for the states, such a primitive and simple country, of course, did not need a strong central government.
(Thomas Jefferson, one of the drafters of the Declaration of Independence, lord of the Great Estate)
Jefferson hated Hamilton's position so much that he called him "the lewd bastard son of a Scottish itinerant trader." But Jefferson would never have imagined that he was still insulting Hamilton at this time, but by the time he became president, he had become a solid believer in Hamilton.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > third, Hamilton wins: Jefferson also becomes a member of the Federation
The conflict between Hamilton and Jefferson was so great that their political views were diametrically opposed, and there may have been personal grudges (Jefferson had always been jealous of Washington's favor for Hamilton), but more of a great clash of ideas. Hamilton was born in the West Indies, born into a single-parent family, and lost his mother at an early age, and he worked alone to make a living, which made Hamilton very fond of industry and commerce. Jefferson was born into a family of farmers with acres of fertile land and countless slaves, which made him very obsessed with agriculture and slavery. Coming from a secluded country and living a privileged life, he could not understand Hamilton's good intentions at first.
But after Jefferson became the third president of the United States, he instead understood Hamilton and gradually pursued Hamilton's policies, becoming a believer in his political enemies. Because the reality facing the United States makes it necessary to establish an efficient central government, the first of which is the debt problem.
At the end of the Revolutionary War, U.S. national income fell by 30 percent. The U.S. government also owed as much as $51 million in debt, and the Second War of Independence in 1812 cost $158 million. At that time, Britain and the United States were fighting a trade war, which made tariffs, an important source of government revenue, completely cut off, in order to save the government's finances, either to establish a unified tax system or issue treasury bonds to raise funds, both of which require a strong central government. Faced with these difficulties, Jefferson could only follow Hamilton's policies, and there was no other way.
Without a strong central government, the United States cannot solve its financial problems, not even an army can maintain, and such a weak United States cannot guarantee its own security and development. Jefferson realized this, so in his inaugural address, he began to clarify that he was a federalist like Hamilton and had no conflict of principle with him, and that his greatest achievement as president was the purchase of Louisiana. At the time, Napoleon wanted to sell Louisiana to the United States for $15 million (equivalent to 3 cents per acre). But at that time, the United States was financially difficult, unable to buy, and many members of parliament also believed that the annexation of territory was illegal, so Jefferson bypassed Congress, forced the bill, and borrowed money to buy Louisiana, which doubled the territory of the United States.
(The annexation of Louisiana changed the future of the United States.)
This decision proved to be invaluable and had an immeasurable impact on the future of the United States. As the saying goes: knowing mistakes can improve greatly, and Jefferson, after realizing the seriousness of the situation, can quickly adjust his strategy, implement Hamilton's policy, put the national interest above personal grievances, and deserve to be a great president.
Although Jefferson and Hamilton eventually reached a political settlement, this did not mean that the dispute between the two representatives was over. Jefferson's American South, which remained entrenched in agriculture and slavery, was increasingly different from the North, which emphasized commerce and freelance labor, which eventually led to the Civil War, which caused the largest bloodshed in American history.
Hamilton's dispute with Jefferson is still faintly visible in today's Republican Democrats