Hamiltonian vs. Jeffersonian.

2008 Democratic Primary Results (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Time for a very brief American History lesson that will also benefit my non United States friends.

You keep hearing about tea parties and Democratic liberals, big cities vs. countryside.  I am simplifying this greatly, but no matter what our party differences are through history our real divisions are Hamiltonian vs. Jeffersonian or Alexander Hamilton vs. Thomas Jefferson.  (Keep in mind, I am simplifying this).

Alexander Hamilton wanted a strong central government and strong central bank.  He believed in protective tariffs and that the national government was expected to invest in industry, science, transportation, and other projects to build the nation.

Thomas Jefferson wanted a weak Federal government, with states and counties. While Hamilton saw the people working together for common interests, Jefferson saw cities as corrupt and wanted yeoman farmers to run the nation.  He wanted to spread of American Republican government, but not to be entangled in foreign events.

Alexander Hamilton was no liberal.  His was a conservative system of a wealthy  class running the nation.  You may think “Limousine Liberal” in the sense of large central government, but any sort of liberal would not have been in Hamilton’s mind.  He would have seen the poor being lifted up by WPA type projects on a grand national scale.

Jefferson coming back to life today, would not be pleased.  The world in general is becoming more urban.  Does Hamilton win?  Stay tuned.

Related articles

• Hamilton: The Founding Father of Big Government (thecollegeconservative.com)
• Unworthy: We’re Losing the Battle of Ideas to a Bunch of Low-Information Snarking Hipsters (minx.cc)
• Jeffersonian’s Proposal for the Peaceful Separation of Liberal and Conservative Americans (orthosphere.org)
• GOP needs a ‘Hamiltonian’ jobs-creating agenda (ConservativeActionAlerts.com)
• Why Jefferson’s natural-law prescription is best (wnd.com)
• Publishing ‘Jeffersonian Oppression’ on Multiple Platforms (ghostsofthefuture.wordpress.com)
• Shocker: Americans Actually Are Realists (blogs.the-american-interest.com)
• How Alexander Hamilton would view the debt ceiling (constitutioncenter.org)

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