Hamilton and Jefferson: Conflicting Views for a Young Nation, by Kyle Nero

Many Americans say that one of the most important qualities of a great president is the ability to surround him or her self with a strong set of advisors and to use them as a resource.  Among the advisors of our first president, George Washington, two names seem to stand out: Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.  While they did share a common goal of promoting the welfare of the American people, these two men had an infamous rivalry throughout their lives and were seldom able to agree on the path to achieving this goal.  Jefferson's general interests included an abundance of state rights, and a central government that loosely tied these states together.  He also wanted a society built on equality.  Hamilton, on the other hand, desired little rights for the state and a strong central government connecting them.  He believed that society had to have social structures, and different classes separating the people.  His vision for America was a purer Britain.  While their constant contradictions of one another may have caused issues at the time, looking back today we realize that it was the synthesis of their two visions that allowed America to get to where it is now.  Most historians believe that, in the end, it was Hamilton's views that won out in shaping modern day America.  However, it is still very much up to our interpretation which of these two brilliant men really played a bigger role in setting America on its path to become the prosperous nation it is today.