Competing Visions - Thomas Jefferson, laissez-faire, Alexander Hamilton, strong central government
Competing Visions
Thomas Jefferson, laissez-faire, Alexander Hamilton, strong central government
The People of the New United States Unit
Here, wear George Washington's shoes for a while . . . Are they a little big on you? That's fine. This is
just an analogy anyway. You have just been chosen to run a new country. Your people just won a big
war. You were the leader in the war! They feel new and fresh and American. But for you, it's kind of
scary. You're the very first president of the United States. Sure, there are a few laws in place that came
from the Declaration of Independence. Really though, you have to start a new government from almost
nothing. You can't do this alone. You need to ask some friends for help. So you hire two of the smartest
people you know. The only problem is . . . they do not agree with each other on much at all.
These two men did not agree on what America should become. You want to keep both men happy, so
you listen to what they both have to say. The first one is an old friend of yours. Thomas Jefferson was
the first Secretary of State, a Founding Father, and he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Before
America was even a country, he was able to put into words how and why the colonies should separate
from the British Empire. After this, he would become the third American president. But before that, he
would have some ideas about how you should run the country . . .
There are two very different ways of looking at government. One is where the government keeps an eye
on everything, from the way things are sold to the rights people have. They let people and businesses do
what they need to do, without getting in the way. Laissez-faire is an economic idea that says the
Over 300 more free History and Science articles are waiting to inspire your students at BirdBrainHistory.com
Page 2
Competing Visions - Thomas Jefferson, laissez-faire, Alexander Hamilton, strong central government
government should not have anything to do with trade. It's a "hands off" way of doing things, or a fancy
way of saying: let it be. Jefferson believed that if you, Washington, and the rest of the government were to
step back, trade would do very well.
Now let's listen to your other friend who fought beside you in the war. This friend does not think that
stepping back and not doing anything is a good idea. Alexander Hamilton was the first Secretary of the
Treasury, a Founding Father, and believed in a powerful central government. He gave Washington lots of
good ideas during the war. He had much different ideas of how to run a country. He liked England, but he
did not like how they worked with money. He did not want America to have the same problems the Crown
did. He had a good way to stop this from happening.
Even though they are both your friends, Hamilton does not see eye to eye with Jefferson. Strong central
government is the idea that government should have a lot of power, and be able to make laws that keep
an eye on trade, and many other things. His ideas were older ideas that came from England. While he
thought that breaking away from the king was a good thing, he still liked some of the ways that the king ran
his country, and he wanted to trade with them. He thought by keeping a close eye on trade, the country
would build up a national economy . . . and this would keep America from owing more money to other
countries.
So, one friend believes in lots of laws. The other believes in very little. As the first president, George
Washington needed help building a government from nothing. So he hired two of the smartest people he
knew. Thomas Jefferson believed in the idea of laissez-faire, which meant that the government should do
little to nothing at all when it came to trade. Alexander Hamilton believed in a strong central government,
which meant that he thought they should make many laws as they could to make sure they did not lose too
much money. Washington listened to both in some ways. And he did not listen to both in others. The
country got slowly to its feet, with a government that did not control too much or do too little. Standing in
his shoes, how do you think he did?
References:
The Jefferson Monticello. "Thomas Jefferson, a Brief Biography" monticello.org, 2008.
<http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/thomas-jefferson-brief-biography>
Bio. "Alexander Hamilton" A&E, 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/alexander-hamilton-9326481>
Over 300 more free History and Science articles are waiting to inspire your students at BirdBrainHistory.com
Page 3
Competing Visions - Thomas Jefferson, laissez-faire, Alexander Hamilton, strong central government
BBC Home History Trails. “Victorian Britain - Laissez-faire and the Victorians” bbc.co.uk,
2004. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/victorian_britain/education_health/laissez_faire_01.shtml
Over 300 more free History and Science articles are waiting to inspire your students at BirdBrainHistory.com
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
Page 4