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Example DBQ Response

Hamilton and Jefferson had opposing views on how the US economy should develop. Hamilton favored industrialization and a strong federal government while Jefferson favored an agrarian economy and states' rights. Though Jefferson's supporters saw some economic gains as negative views of industry grew, statistics show the US economy became more industrialized and aligned with Hamilton's vision from 1780 to 1840, with industries like cotton spinning and railroads expanding rapidly. However, some accounts of poor working conditions, like Harriet Robinson's description of the mills, aligned with Jeffersonian criticisms of industry.

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35 views

Example DBQ Response

Hamilton and Jefferson had opposing views on how the US economy should develop. Hamilton favored industrialization and a strong federal government while Jefferson favored an agrarian economy and states' rights. Though Jefferson's supporters saw some economic gains as negative views of industry grew, statistics show the US economy became more industrialized and aligned with Hamilton's vision from 1780 to 1840, with industries like cotton spinning and railroads expanding rapidly. However, some accounts of poor working conditions, like Harriet Robinson's description of the mills, aligned with Jeffersonian criticisms of industry.

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tobysturges
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Hamilton and Jefferson, both secretaries under “President with the Precedent”

Washington, aligned with different ideas. With Hamilton’s federalist, supporting the
government beliefs often pitted against Jefferson’s democratic-republican, supporting
states-rights beliefs, it's clear that their opinions on how the new nation should have
been run had vastly differed. Hamilton’s wishes for industrialization, versus Jefferson’s
wishes for good things for the yeoman farmers, were a clear indication of what they
would prioritize in their respective economical structures. While Jefferson’s supporters
did see economic improvements aligning with the slow decrease in positive public
opinion regarding industry, the nation’s economic structure at the time more accurately
reflects Hamilton’s beliefs. With its industrialized markets and transport, and its
support of infant industry, Hamilton’s views prevailed more in the time period of 1780
to 1840.
Jefferson held the belief that industrializing the nation would take away
opportunities for yeoman farmers. He would have felt incredibly justified in this belief
if he’d lived long enough to read Harriet H. Robinson’s account of a Lowell girl mill
strike. Robinson’s account of her conditions in the mills made the idea of industrialized
factories sound incredibly unfavorable, and would support a Jeffersonian view of the
world. Since Robinson’s account was published about 50 years after her time with the
mill job, it could have been the product of an already apparent decrease in industry at
the time. Although this question in particular asks after time up to the year 1840, so that
remains unseen. Either way, her account would make people uncertain about the value
factories of that sort really held in our economic structures, and would turn people
towards- if not an entirely Jeffersonian view- at the very least an anti-industry view
(Document H). On the opposite side of this coin of opinions on industrialization is the
records regarding the Hamilton-esque factories and manufacturing statistics.
Documents D, G, and I all represent facets of Hamilton’s fantasized industry. As
they are all statistics, such as maps, charts, and graphs, they show how large a jump
was taken for each regarded subject in a certain amount of time, which adequately
shows off just how *fast* all of the growth was. From the increase in cotton spinning-
even in the south, where Jefferson’s beliefs were held in higher regard- to the increase in
railroad and steamboat mileage, to even the decrease in rural population (signifying less
farmers) all add to the idea that Hamilton’s industry had gotten far more popular than
Jefferson’s farming ideas had. Especially with the statistics regarding the South’s
increased industrialization- zero railroad mileage to one thousand four hundred and
fifty six is a massive jump to occur in only ten years. As well as the increase in cotton
spinning in the South, since going from 0 spindles to at most twenty five thousand to
ninety nine thousand spindles over the course of thirty years is both incredibly
impressive and very telling of where the nation’s economic beliefs fell at the time. The
industry was booming, but Hamilton also saw a rise in protection of infant industry
with his spiritual successor, Henry Clay.
Henry Clay’s American system, which asked for a National bank, internal
improvements, and a protective tariff, was what earned him his title as Hamilton’s
spiritual successor in, if nothing else, beliefs. Clay wished to instill the protective tariff
post-war of 1812, specifically to protect infant industries after the war. This mirrors
Hmailton’s belief in protection of infant industries, as well as appealing to his idea of
the nation being like “Hercules in a cradle”. The Tariff of 1816, taken as a protective
tariff to help support recovering merchants and traders after the War of 1812, being
included in Clay’s plan and taken in nationally, winds up adding further to the side of
the scale that Hamilton’s beliefs are on regarding the nation’s economic structure.
In conclusion, while Jefferson’s supporters did see economic improvements
aligning with the slow decrease in positive public opinion regarding industry, the
nation’s economic structure at the time more accurately reflects Hamilton’s beliefs. With
its industrialized markets and transport, and its support of infant industry, Hamilton’s
views prevailed more in the time period of 1780 to 1840. However, the argument could
also be made that in that same time period, Jefferson’s economic ideals prevailed amidst
a larger margin of people than could be indicated by statistics. For instance, in
Document E, Henry Clay begs the “Manufacturers and Mechanics” to vote against
Jackson, as he fears his anti-industrial ideals will prevail if he is brought into presidency.
In having to submit this plea in the first place, Clay acknowledges that there is a large
margin of people that abide by Jackson’s ideals, and wish for a nation with less
industrialization in its markets. Acknowledging these people on such a large scale
contributes to the idea that, with time, Jefferson’s economic beliefs could also have
swept the nation in the same way Hamilton’s had from at least 1780 to 1840.

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