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Politician vs. Statesman Essay

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Politician and statesman are two terms that are used to define a political individual, and usually collaborate in their meanings. Many times, these two works can be used as synonyms when describing an individual, but they do have their subtle differences. Both a politician and a statesman are defined as “man who is a leader in national or international affairs” or “a man who is a respected leader in a given field” (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=statesman / http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=politician).

Although these two words are termed the same, they do have their differences in their actual meanings. A politician is someone who attempts to gain personal advantages, most likely by …show more content…

George Washington also made the decision of limiting a president’s power to where he could not have such authority as that of a dictator or such other type of leader.

Alexander Hamilton: I would also call Alexander Hamilton a statesman. Hamilton’s six part plan to relieve the United States of its foreign and domestic debts was indeed for the good of the country. Also, Hamilton called together the Continental Congress to amend the Articles of Confederation and proceeded to carry it out in a fair and just manner. Finally, Alexander Hamilton refused to join Aaron Burr’s campaign because he believed Burr was in it for the wrong reasons and principles (http://www.colonialhall.com/hamilton/hamilton.php).

James Monroe: I would say James Monroe was a politician because he opposed the ratification of the Constitution because it would centralize the country and it would not directly benefit him in any way. In addition, he was strong connected to the racial wing of the Republican Party who opposed Madison’s election. He agreed with many of the ideas that Thomas Jefferson also believed in (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0760590.html).

Thomas Jefferson: I would label Thomas Jefferson as a politician because of the fact that he was the leader of the untitled “leader” of the Democratic - Republican Party. Jefferson opposed the idea of a centralized government and was for the idea of more power towards the individual

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