Comments on: Jefferson vs. Hamilton (1792-1800)

By: djvoelker

djvoelker — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 14:34:42 +0000

Tenzin: Republicans roundly condemned the Alien and Sedition Acts, which were used to target Republican newspaper editors. Two leading Republicans, Madison and Jefferson, wrote protests that became the Virginia and the Kentucky Resolutions. Some Federalists probably realized that the law was a mistake, but Congressional Federalists threw their support behind the law.

By: tenzin

tenzin — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 22:32:12 +0000

do you know how did fedetelists and republican feel about the Alien and sedition acts?

By: Kyle Krauss

Kyle Krauss — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 18:40:08 +0000

It’s interesting that the two parties both believed that the fragile nation was on the cusp of being broken apart - their attempts to gain the upper hand over the other to be able to address this issue was, in fact, contributing largely to the delicate nature of the nation. The infighting between the two parties made a bad situation worse, even though both were attempting to improve it. File under: Law of Unintended Consequences.

As far as the Alien and Sedition Acts is concerned, we have serious reservations, in our modern perspectives, about the encroachment upon civil liberties. Despite this, however, the nation did not come apart. I know this seems like an end-justifying-means argument, but… oh well.

By: Scott Nichols

Scott Nichols — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 18:33:26 +0000

It is right before class so I cannot say too much right now but I really think Jefferson had something with his concerns on why we were taking on a debt that was not getting paid off. This was what I agree with an investment in the United States of the wealthy that owned these notes (money) that the National Bank was going to make a valuable note to own.

By: Jared

Jared — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 05:18:50 +0000

I would say that if the fact that the US government was very new and not exactly strong, it is easy to see how the Federalists got the Sedition Act passd. In Hamilton’s letters he makes it quite clear that he sees the democratic-Republicans as a threat to the Union. Hamilton Merely writes a few letters to feloow patriots a stirs up fear of a Union collapse. There was not a huge threat, but still fear causes people to take action. Not to open modern politic debates but, there is another Act that was justified in this same manner.

By: Nicole Short

Nicole Short — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 00:15:26 +0000

It doesn’t take long after the implementation of the Constitution before a two party system begins to emerge. It was almost inevitable with the very different view points that existed in the early years of the new government. Jefferson aliened himself with the Republican Party which hoped to “preserve the government in its present form.” Jefferson was worried that some were trying to pave the way for a monarchy and that the national debt would be too burdensome.

By: djvoelker

djvoelker — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 02:15:36 +0000

HOW DID THEY JUSTIFY THE SEDITION ACT?

Corey, you make good points about the Sedition Act. Maybe someone could take up the question of how the Federalists could justify such a law. Was it really constitutional? (Jefferson and Madison certainly thought not.)

By: Corey Livieri

Corey Livieri — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 01:25:11 +0000

The Sedition Act was passed in 1798 to make sure that nobody inside the United States would conspire against the government. It also made it illegal for anybody to publish falsehoods against the President or Congress. However, the term “Vice President” was left out of the law because it was clear that Adams could care less what people wrote about Jefferson. In retrospect, it was essentially used to keep the Republicans quiet, because the Federalists did not feel like putting up with them. Also, as an advantage to Adams, the law was set to expire right after the end of his Presidential term.

By: Amanda Crump

Amanda Crump — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 19:52:53 +0000

The major concerns that Jefferson had were about Hamilton’s finacial policies, the huge public debt and how Congress continued to push the limits of the Consitution. Jefferson was concerned for the Union as a whole and saw that if Washington really did not return for a second term, the new nation would fall by the wayside. The topic of whether or not Washington should return for a second term was the only thing that Jefferson and Hamilton agreed on. The both thought that the Union was centered strongly on Washington.