Compare And Contrast The Beliefs Of The Colonies In The Late 1700s

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There were many different beliefs throughout the colonies in the late 1700s. Jefferson did not believe in a strong Federal government, he believed in a government run by all educated men. Jefferson wanted a strict construction of the Constitution. When Hamilton introduced the idea of a Federal Bank, Jefferson disagreed with him, saying that the constitution did not give the government the power to create a Federal Bank. Jefferson believed that because the Constitution did not directly state that the Federal government could create a bank then it was not allowed. Hamilton, on the other hand, believed that because the constitution gave the Federal government the right to coin and distribute money that the government could also create a bank. …show more content…

Hamilton thought it would help in establishing foreign credit if the federal government took on the debt the states incurred during the Revolutionary War. Hamilton’s plan included paying back this debt by imposing tariffs and excise taxes. Jefferson, however, did not think that taking on the states’ debt as a national debt was a good idea. When Jefferson first got into office, he abolished the excise taxes. As a result the only money that was collected to pay off the national debt was from tariffs from trade with other countries. This made the amount of debt held by the government remain higher for a longer period of time. Jefferson completely took away the nation’s income when he passed the Embargo Act. The Embargo Act made it so the states could not trade with foreign countries. This contradicted another belief of Jefferson. Jefferson believed that the states should have the most power. By passing the Embargo Act, Jefferson strengthened the Federal government’s power. When the Alien and Sedition Act was passed, Jefferson believed that the states should have the right to decide if a law was constitutional or if it was unconstitutional. Jefferson was the President when Chief Justice John Marshall ruled the Marbury vs. Maddison case. This case gave the Judicial Branch the power to decide whether a law is constitutional or