Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were two of the most important figures in the development of American political parties. Although these two men came from very different backgrounds, they both sought a way to develop and improve the American republic. Alexander Hamilton came from a life of poverty but managed to rise to the top, earning a degree from King's College and serving as Washington's aide in the Revolutionary War. Thomas Jefferson was born into a wealthy family and studied law, eventually serving in the House of Burgesses of Virginia. The beliefs of Hamilton and Jefferson were the guidelines for the Federalist and Democratic Republic parties which, although both strove to perfect the nation, had very contrasting views. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Alexander Hamilton was the founder of the Federalist Party in America. All of his political beliefs could be found in The Federalists Papers, a collection of pamphlets he wrote together with James Madison and John Jay, both Federalists. The main objective of this party was to support a strong central government. Hamilton believed that the government should be responsible for all aspects of running a country, as a strong central government would encourage unity and equality. For this reason, Hamilton and his followers preferred a loose interpretation of the Constitution, which would allow the government to create institutions or organizations that they thought would benefit the nation. For example, in 1791, Hamilton proposed that the United States form a privately financed National Bank, which would essentially allow citizens to invest in the country's future. This proposal was met with much opposition. Hamilton defended the constitutionality of the Bank by using Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, the "necessary and proper" clause (also known as the "elastic" clause), which empowered the government to institute whatever policies it believed would enable the nation to prosper. One of Hamilton's most important points was the management of government by educated members of the elite. He saw these men as erudite scholars who understood the complexities of economic systems and political policies. He considered ordinary people ignorant and incapable of running a government effectively. As immigration began to increase in the new country, Federalists observed that the majority of these new immigrants voted Democratic-Republicans. To prevent more immigrants from voting for Democratic-Republicans in important elections, Hamilton and his followers instituted a series of policies known as the Alien and Sedition Acts, which increased the number of years a person must live in the United States to become a citizen. . (Divine, 164-165) (Knauer, 79, 86)Thomas Jefferson was the founder of the Democratic-Republican Party, originally called the Anti-Federalist Party, in America. He, unlike Hamilton, believed that common people should be fully responsible for government. After all, it was Jefferson who wrote, “Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” in the Declaration of Independence. Although he himself was an educated man (a man whom Hamilton would have looked upon favorably to govern the country), he expressed confidence in the common people in managing the country. One of the most important beliefs of the Democratic-Republicans was that of states' rights. Jefferson and his followers believed in a very restrictive interpretationof the Constitution, going so far as to declare that all rights or powers not specifically declared or vested in the central government belonged to the State. It is clear why this party fought so hard against Hamilton's National Bank; they saw him as providing the nation with nothing but probable corruption. (Divine, 165,168) (Knauer, 86)Alexander Hamilton achieved his status by employing charm, courage, and intellect to realize his inexhaustible ambition. Although he had many opportunities to become rich, Hamilton strove not to acquire wealth, but to earn a good reputation among men of high power. He believed in the value of higher education because he was born into poor circumstances but still managed to attend King's College. Hamilton saw Britain as America's greatest possible ally. Although he received much backlash for his belief, Hamilton believed that America could create strong economic ties with the country from which it separated. The European market was a very important economic center and could spur America to industrial and commercial improvements, which would finance the country and make it the sophisticated and developed nation that Hamilton dreamed of. (Divine, 164) Thomas Jefferson, like Hamilton, did not seek personal wealth; however, he pursued the advancement of republican ideals, such as those declared in the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson firmly believed that the common man was capable of managing a nation, but he concluded that power leads to corruption and warned the American public against “the greedy and monopolizing spirit of commerce and commercial men.” Locke's writings greatly influenced his ideas. For example, both Locke and Jefferson defined government as an organization created by the consent of the people, operated by the people, for the benefit of the people. Because of his more democratic ideals, Jefferson preferred to ally himself with France rather than Great Britain. While Britain was happy with their monarchy, the French could not stand their king, who they saw as the Americans saw King George, tyrannical and inconsiderate of his people. Furthermore, Jefferson recognized that the French aided the Americans during the American Revolution. The French seemed to be a good ally until the outbreak of the French Revolution and the alliance with France lost its appeal. (Divine, 164, 168) (Knauer, 78, 86) Alexander Hamilton's most recognized achievement, besides serving as Washington's aide during the American Revolution, is his economic system for the new nation. This system had two basic parts. The first part is the encouragement of production and industry. The Industrial Revolution was going strong in England and was making the country very rich. Hamilton wanted this for America, so he suggested that the United States focus more on mass producing and selling goods than on agriculture, as goods produced in America would help reduce dependence on foreign trade. The second part included Hamilton's three major reports on the American economy: the First Report on Public Credit (January 14, 1790), the Second Report on Public Credit (January 1791), and the Report on Manufacturing (December 1791). These three reports calculated and proposed ways to repay national and state debts in 1790, established the Bank of the United States, and established policies to regulate commerce and manufacturing. (Divine, 165) Thomas Jefferson and his followers believed that the industry and manufacturing promoted by Hamilton would corrupt the republican ideals of the United States. Instead, Jefferson promoted an agriculture-based economy..