Exam #2 – Question #3: Jeffersonianism

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Exam #2 – Question #3: Jeffersonianism

Historical research on ancient American life indicates that Thomas Jefferson and James Madison played significant roles worth appreciation during the ancient period when the United States liberation. Thomas Jefferson is well recognized in history due to the competing socio-political ideologies that emerged from his fertile mind. He is known for being at the forefront of the struggle and declaring internal self-rule apart from external governance, which research indicates was a new era (Republican) when Americans would adequately participate in the government. He was described to be democracy spokesman, American founding father of the United States through constitution ratification, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and served as the president of the US from 1801-1809. Research indicates that James Madison, like Jefferson, had a fertile mind and significantly supported constitutional ratification (O’Shaughnessy, 2021).

Madison played a critical role as a prime mover in a convention held in 1787 that was being convened in summer in Philadelphia. Collaboration between the two founding fathers of the United States was a major achievement since they were able to pave the way for Jeffersonian through their efforts, which dwelled on Jefferson’s political principles, ideas, and policies to ensure Jeffersonian democracy, to stress minimal control by the central government, incontrovertible rights of people, and the superiority or dominant of agricultural economy and rural society, which significantly contradicted Hamilton political ideology based on the aristocracy (O’Shaughnessy, 2021). Research indicates that Jeffersonian democracy supported by republicans was the first movement that articulated more democracy in the American government in the first decade of the 19th century.

Jeffersonian was an acquisition of internal self-rule that was highly recognized by the British and other powerful nations worldwide courtesy of the Peace of Paris (Mattes, 2021). After its emergence, many doubts were raised from respective nations, which had been put into recognition because under the article of confederation, there was limited effectiveness in congress, and they had the minimum capability to rule over and initiate the change. Emerging as the superpower by gaining victory in a battle that had erupted acted as a resultant factor of wild disagreements with the coalition and with loyal citizens whose patriotism was not questionable to their country, which was termed as temporary suppression. However, from 1791-1792 the fall period was marked by the emergence of what was discerned as an opposition. An opposition initiated by Jeffersonian was in reaction to the increasing influence of the Treasury over administration policy by Hamilton and to the ferocious urge of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to challenge the successful completion of Alexander Hamilton’s grand design. Jefferson and Madison would only be moderately successful (Mattes, 2021). Still, in the midst of their struggles, all the tensions that had been building since Hamilton’s plans first started to take shape in the latter half of 1789 could fully explode into the open in ferocious partisan conflict. Similar to his attempts to distinguish between original and current Continental security holders or his crusade against the assertion, Madison’s attempts to block the creation of a national bank by Hamilton had been ineffective.

In partnership with Madison, Thomas Jefferson was a co-creator of policies that marked opposition to Alexander Hamilton’s policies. Under all circumstances, he opposed Hamilton’s plans through his speculation in paper certificates and threatened the virtue of the new America (Spanagel, 2014). For instance, Jefferson opposed Hamilton’s plan to create government-owned banks. Because he was afraid that the nation would establish a financial monopoly that would submerge or undermine federal and state banks, resulting in adopting policies for financiers and merchants and assuming the ‘common man.’ Since his policies favored wealthy elites who owned plantations and family farmers, acted as creditors, and tended to be debtors. Jefferson used Jeffersonianism to gain massive from republicans through Jeffersonian democracy since he believed in his political belief that absolute acquiescence of majority decisions (Brown, 1999). He was committed to the limited government since he believed that government that governs best governs least. The ideology that opposed Hamilton’s perception of a central government that had power over people. Jefferson believed that people’s will had a great impact when expressed in various, and he provided appropriate guidance for directing the republic’s course. Through Jeffersonian, he advocated for various issues. Jefferson was for a narrow and strict interpretation of the constitution that granted powers to the federal government but not the central government, as Hamilton advocated and wanted to terminate corruption in the central government (Jefferson, 1999). He advocated for Jeffersonian democracy advocated for the inclusion of the bill of rights, which was aimed at limiting government to overriding its citizens. Significantly he advocated and increased participation in voting (Read, 2000). Forming a democratic and representative government by open and transparent leaders forms a republicanism form of government rather than the federalist one. He was determined to territorial expansion contrary to Hamilton’s vision to expand the economy. Additionally, regarding foreign policy, Jefferson did not want to entangle alliances since he revered France (Jefferson, 1999).

Research indicates that Madison and Jefferson, throughout their political career in the United States, lived up to these Jeffersonian ideals. For instance, during his term as president before his retirement, he encouraged and got a massive turnout of local citizens who encouraged and supported these ideals (Ratner-Rosenhagen, 2019). In terms of tariffs and foreign policy, he advocated for and completed the Louisiana Purchase. For instance, he motivated Clark and Lewis to survey the west and find a route to the pacific. During his presidency, the judiciary Act of 1801, during John Adams’s last days, helped Jefferson create federal courts. He persisted and showed his consistency in moderate nationalism and small government. He terminated Hamilton’s unpopular tariff and ways to collect taxes and cut governmental expenditure since revenue was reduced. He claimed that government revenue was supposed to come from expedited western land sales (Ratner-Rosenhagen, 2019).

References

Jefferson, T. (1999). Jefferson: political writings. Cambridge University Press.

Mattes, A. (2021). Thomas Jefferson’s New Old World: The Development of “Europe” as a Political Concept in Jefferson’s Political Thought. Amerikastudien, 66(2), 401.

O’Shaughnessy, A. J. (2021). The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind: Thomas Jefferson’s Idea of a University. University of Virginia Press.

Ratner-Rosenhagen, J. (2019). The Ideas that Made America: A Brief History. Oxford University Press.

Read, J. H. (2000). Power versus liberty: madison, hamilton, wilson, and jefferson. University of Virginia Press.

Spanagel, D. I. (2014). DeWitt Clinton and Amos Eaton: geology and power in early New York. JHU Press.