Hamilton v Jefferson

Hamilton and Jefferson were bitter political enemies. Jefferson held animus against Hamilton partially because of his fear that Hamilton was a royalist and preferred a monarchy in America. Also there was a great deal of jealousy because of Hamilton's incredible energy and power, with a seemingly endless intellect. Hamilton was George Washington's most trusted aide and cabinet member. Jefferson rightly felt he was an intellectual inferior and resented it.

Hamilton was very suspicious of Jefferson's preference to maintain the sovereignty of the states at the expense of a federal government that would unite the states. Jefferson also felt an allegiance to France during the French Revolution, notwithstanding the heinous methods used by the Jacobin's during the Reign of Terror with a resultant expunging of religion from that country.

While still America's representative in France, post signing of the Constitution, Jefferson wrote his political peer James Madison a letter that Jefferson called "The earth belongs to the living." In the letter he hinted at his progressive theories by writing that "the earth always belongs to the living generation" and that "no generation can make a perpetual constitution or perpetual law." He argued that a society can only be limited by law from a previous generation for a set number of years.

James Madison, the author of the Constitution, gently tore his argument to shreds. Madison with his usual clarity of issues argued that land ownership, debts and other obligations may be extant through many generations and were obligations that if not maintained would destroy the credibility of a society. He also said that he would be unwilling to support the need for a new constitution at the end of each generation.