Hamilton himself wrote more than two-thirds of them. In the first of the essays, Hamilton set the stage for those that would follow, proclaiming that "the vigor of government is essential to the security of liberty.
At the time, they proved effective in gaining allies for the Constitution. But perhaps nearly as remarkable as the writing of "The Federalist" feat was, was Hamilton's performance at the New York ratifying convention in Albany.
By the time the convention met in June, , several major states, including New York and Virginia, had not yet ratified. Hamilton and 19 other Federalist delegates faced a seemingly immobile and palpably oppositional group of 47 Anti-Federalists. Hamilton was outnumbered. Without New York, the new government would inevitably split into separate confederacies.
Over the next month, Alexander Hamilton presented the convention with his case for ratification. Day after day, hour after hour, the eloquent attorney spoke, hammering away at the Anti-Federalists' arguments. The ratification of the Constitution by Virginia bolstered his case, but the supreme logic and persuasive abilities of Hamilton proved critical as well.
Opposition evaporated, and the Constitution was approved. Hamilton had helped to save the Constitution. But creating a government on paper and actually operating that government were two different matters. Hamilton had helped to ensure the Constitution's ratification.
And now, as Treasury secretary under President George Washington, he would build the economic system that enabled the new nation to survive. Even before the Revolution began, Hamilton had recognized that the future of America lay in business and industry. And he understood that to develop into an industrial power, America would need a powerful economic system. But during the Revolution and the years that followed, the economy had been a shambles.
The Continental Army had been nearly paralyzed by the Continental Congress' inability to collect taxes. The war had been funded largely by the issue of bonds, most of which went unpaid at war's end.
And the new government lacked a revenue source to pay these debts -- or to pay for funding defense or other national projects. In his position on Washington's cabinet, Hamilton worked assiduously to solve these problems. Again, he would have to overcome some skepticism. Taxes had been a major reason for throwing off British rule. The vice president was John Adams, and Washington chose Alexander Hamilton to be his secretary of the treasury.
Both men wanted an active government that would promote prosperity by supporting American industry. However, Washington chose Thomas Jefferson to be his secretary of state, and Jefferson was committed to restricting federal power and preserving an economy based on agriculture.
According to Hamilton, government had important roles to play in this process. First, the state should protect private property from theft. Hamilton, like many of his contemporary statesmen, did not believe the state should ensure an equal distribution of property. If the rich needed the government, then they would direct their energies to making sure it remained solvent. He did not believe that promoting manufactures was as important as supporting the already-established agrarian base.
Madison cooperating with Mr. Jefferson is at the head of a faction decidedly hostile to me and my administration, and. The Federalists dominated the national government through the end of the 18th century.
Boston: Bedford St. Martins Press, Hamilton: Confrontations that Shaped a Nation , ed. Hamilton sought to create a stable financial foundation for the nation and increase the power of the central government. He pushed for the national government to assume state debts, which would bind creditors to the federal government. Hamilton made the First Bank of the United States a centerpiece of his financial plan. Modeled on the Bank of England, the bank held government funds, issued loans to the government, provided currency, and increased liquid capital to facilitate economic growth.
In time, Hamilton and Jefferson became the leaders of the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties respectively. Jefferson and Hamilton also disagreed over foreign policy. Jefferson resigned in December , frustrated that Washington usually sided with Hamilton.
In , Hamilton helped quell the Whiskey Rebellion, and resigned from his cabinet post in January Washington was called out of retirement in to lead a Provisional Army, when war with France loomed. When Thomas Jefferson finished in an electoral tie with Aaron Burr in the election of , some Federalist Congressmen wanted to give Burr the election. Hamilton believed Jefferson was preferable to Burr, and wrote to Federalists imploring them to support Jefferson.
During the New York gubernatorial election of , the Albany Register published a letter stating that Hamilton had insulted Aaron Burr, one of the candidates, at a private dinner. Burr lost the election, and after confronting Hamilton about the reported slander, challenged him to a duel.
0コメント