Jefferson vs. Hamilton

"We (contemporary America) worship Jefferson, but we have become Hamilton's America"

Before any research my knowledge of Alexander Hamilton was not much more extensive than knowing he is a founding father and that he is on the 10 dollar bill. Thomas Jefferson on the other hand is someone who is regularly discussed and blatantly is a much more popular person, likely because of his considerably longer life and the lack of malicious attacks he made on other parties.

Hamilton's ideas are almost mirrors of the way our country is run today. His incredibly advanced ideas for the time sought to build a economy based on investment, industry and expanded commerce. These ideas were based around having a national bank, soon to become The Bank of the United States. At the time the United States was in great amounts of debt and it was unclear how they were going to eliminate this debt. At the core of this problem arrose two political parties; the federalists and the anti-federalists. As a federalist, Hamilton wanted to unify the country, and unify its debt. The way out country is setup today in a direct outcome of the dream Hamilton had for the United States. "We have become Hamilton's America"

Essentially, Thomas Jeffersons dream for the United States was the opposite of Hamiltons dream. The fact that we "worship Jefferson" is confusing considering the failure of his dream for the United States. Well failure might be a bit harsh considering he was a founding father and a signor of the Declaration of Independence. However on the grander scheme of things, his individual dream for how he hoped America would be founded strays far from the way it is. Just because his dream failed does not mean he was not happy with the way America turned out. 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the same day John Adams died, coincidence? I think not. Although Jeffersons ideas and dreams for the United States were not accomplished, I believe that he was pleased with the way our country turned out. Jefferson experienced first hand combat on the front lines of the Revolutionary War. He risked his life for out country and fought for what he believed in. For Americans, the fight for freedom is something that our military is fighting for everyday. We can easily relate to this and so Jefferson becomes someone easier to relate to. We worship Jefferson because of the sacrifices he made for our country, the everlasting impact he had on us. Even though we do not follow his specific dream for America the one thing Jefferson and Hamilton did agree on was a free country for all, something we fight to preserve every day.

In contemporary America we worship Jefferson for the sacrifices he made on the front line while Hamilton was safe behind a cannon. I am not saying we should not respect those who serve and served our country, but we should worship Hamilton, for he is the man whose dreams shaped our country into the way it is.