Question

The concept of "independence" is important to both Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, but does it mean the same thing to each man? What does independence mean to each?

Answer 1

• Hamilton believed that there should be a strong federal government, Jefferson believed that the states should be stronger.Hamilton believed that Blacks and Whites were equal in ability and that the apparent differences were due to different circumstances (like the Blacks being slaves, being forbidden to read, being ill fed, etc). Jefferson believed Blacks were "inferior in both mind and body".
• Hamilton thought senators and presidents should be elected for life. Jefferson did not.
• Jefferson thought there should be periodic revolutions. Hamilton did not.
• Hamilton was a strong supporter of a national bank and helped found it. Jefferson thought this was unconstitutional.
• Hamilton proposed freeing slaves and arming them to fight the British. Jefferson owned slaves and thought the institution would die out on its own.
• Hamilton made two principal points. First, he argued for the independence of the judiciary from the other two branches of government, the executive and the legislative. In presenting a case for the judiciary, he reached his second major conclusion: that the judiciary must be empowered to strike down laws passed by Congress that it deems "contrary to the manifest tenor of the Constitution."
• By making the tenure of federal judges permanent and not temporary, Hamilton argued, the Constitution ensures that judges will not be changed according to the interests or whims of another branch of government. According to Hamilton, permanent tenure also recognizes the complexity of the law in a free society.
• The judiciary must also be independent, according to Hamilton, so that it may fulfill its main purpose in a constitutional government: the protection of the "particular rights or privileges" of the people as set forth by the Constitution. Here, Hamilton made his second major point. To protect those rights, he proclaimed, the judiciary must be given the power of judicial review to declare as null and void laws that it deems unconstitutional.
• The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress, states the reasons the British colonies of North America sought independence in July of 1776.
• All men are created equal and there are certain unalienable rights that governments should never violate. These rights include the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When a government fails to protect those rights, it is not only the right, but also the duty of the people to overthrow that government. In its place, the people should establish a government that is designed to protect those rights.