Did Thomas Jefferson Trust The Government In The 1790s

In the late 1700's, John Adams was President. Adams was a member of the Federalist Party. The Federalists were in control of the Congress. Adams and other Federalists were Pro-British and the Republican Party was Pro-French. Thomas Jefferson led the Republicans. Federalists were worried that the influx of French into the country

As the thirteen original colonies broke away from Great Britain it was developing into an effective democratic nation. As democracy continued to amplify, two main political parties took to formation. In the 1790s, the creation of Federalists led by Alexandra Hamilton and the Republicans led by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson began to quarrel on how the government should operate. The two main political parties were never able to recognize the other political view on government, economy, and foreign affairs.

In the early 19th century the two dominant political parties, the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists, had many opposing beliefs. With respect to the federal constitution, the Jeffersonian Republicans were viewed as strict constructionists who were opposed to the broad and lenient constructionism of the Federalists. The Jeffersonian Republicans were supported by commoners and the middle class. In general, they favored limiting the power of the national government, they believed that farming should serve as the backbone of the economy based on agriculture, and they supported the cause of the French Revolution. Contrary to such beliefs were those of the Federalists who were supported by the wealthy and aristocrats. Federalists, who

The Republican Party (later Democratic-Republican Party), created by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson in 1791, challenged the Federalists. While the Federalists favored close ties with the British in foreign affairs, the Republicans wanted to improve relations with France and strengthen the old attachment. Alexander ended up interfering in Jefferson’s domain as Secretary of Foreign Affairs in an attempt to seeing his program come to a completion. This led to a dispute with Jefferson. The two became rivals, always wanting to throw each other out of Washington’s Cabinet.

The origins of the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties can be traced back to the early 1790s. Initially, the Federalists, or broad constructionists, favored the growth of federal power and a strong central government. The Federalists promulgated a loose interpretation of the Constitution, which meant that they believed that the government could do anything by the implied powers of the Constitution or that congress had the right to interpret the Constitution based on connotation. On the contrary, the Democratic-Republicans favored the protection of states’ rights and the strict containment of federal power. The Democratic-Republicans were strict constructionists and they

Thomas Jefferson’s domestic policy was based principally on the organization of a new, limited federal government that concerned itself solely with current affairs, leaving state governments in control of responsibilities at home. His first order of business as President was the establishment of a “wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another” but should otherwise leave them alone to handle their own matters of business (567). Jefferson “favored

The year is 1877 and just like the target of a cluster-shot being fired from a musket, America is riddled with skirmishes between British and Revolutionary forces. During this chaos, the men who would come to be known as the Founding Fathers were working on outlining a governmental structure for the new nation. Thomas Jefferson proposed there existed a problem that “even under the best forms, those entrusted with power have, in time…perverted into tyranny…” The solution to which, he says, would be, “to illuminate…the minds of the people at large…” Jefferson outlines the ways in which America could combat this problem in his “A Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge”.

The Republicans were a political group led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. This political group felt that the government needed to remain small with less power leaving the major decisions to the states and communities. The Republican supporters were mainly farmers and rural communities who agreed that the state should have the most power. These people felt that a strong central government may give the government too much power and the states, not enough which would, in turn, lead to conflict. These beliefs caused strife among the Federalists and the Republicans, especially in the national government, but the Republicans eventually won and the Federalists faded out.

I believe that Jefferson feels that the function of government is to serve the people. Whatever things the people need or demand the government should be able to provide and/or offer its people. The very reason we have man-made governments is to protect our natural rights, not to interfere with them. The power and authority governments have are given with the people's consent and limited to their protection. The people elect the government because the people believe that those in power will be adequate enough to take care of

After the colonies gained independence, the founding fathers soon found that becoming a new independent nation was going to be a difficult task. The biggest task was deciding on the division of power in the government. This issue divided the people into two groups, the federalists and the Jeffersonian republicans. Alexander Hamilton led the federalists and Thomas Jefferson led the republicans. These two important men in history would later show how the challenges of becoming a new nation. In this essay I will be analyzing the ideas of Linda K. Kerber’s “The Fears of the Federalists,” to Drew R. McCoy’s “The Fears of the Jeffersonian Republicans.” Furthermore, comparisons will be made about both essays to gain a better understanding of the struggles of government in early America.

Although Republicans preferred more power to the states, as President, Jefferson should have kept the county's best idea in mind and tried to keep the national government strong. Jefferson also comes across as very hypocritical in this letter by trying to dismantle the government he created and fought for during the drafting of the Constitution. In this letter, Jefferson is guilty of trying to allow his own vision for the country to come through rather than keeping the strict constructionist ideas of his party in mind and supporting the Constitution even if it called for a strong national government.

The 1800 realignment was the decline of the Federalist party and the rise of the Democrats and the Republicans. The federalist lost a lot of seats in Congress and had a hard time competing for the Presidency and in 1820 didn’t run a candidate in the 1820 election. The Hamiltonians and the Jeffersonians squared of over the scope and power of the federal government. The Hamiltonians were in favor of federal government and executive power and the Jeffersonians in favor of state government and legislative power.

Thomas Jefferson once said, “When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty.” Thomas Jefferson believed the best government was the one that governs the least . Jefferson stressed how a small government with limited powers is most likely to leave the people alone and have them enjoy the Blessings of Liberty. Furthermore, Thomas Jefferson was a man who had numerous accomplishments in his life. He was the author of the Declaration of Independence, author of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, founder of the University of Virginia, and the third President of the United States. His strict interpretation of the Constitution was due to his belief that the charter was designed to provide the people with a say in governmental affairs. Mr. Jefferson won the approval from the working class because he fought for them and not the powerful interests of the wealthy. Although Jefferson was a vocal and active leader in the rights of states, his recommendation of the Embargo Act and his support of the Non-Intercourse act resulted in his failure as the Commander In Chief.

In 1790, the United States had just recently broke free from the British crown and united under the cause of liberty. But in spite of this, Americans saw political rifts brought about by the rise of political parties. The rise of political parties in 1790 was caused by general distrust, disagreements on policies, and constitutional disagreements between the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties, which were led by Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, respectively.

The primary belief associated with Jeffersonian democracy is of a small and efficient central government. It is fundamentally known that, “Jefferson... felt that the central government should be rigorously frugal and simple. (Heller)” This concept is the origin of Anti Federalist/Republican belief. It is also present in the writing of the Declaration, specifically in the line, “... to secure these rights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness), governments are instituted among