Dr. John Ferling on Jefferson, Hamilton, & Federalism

This week, on The Learning Curve, co-hosts Alisha Searcy of the Center for Strong Public Schools and Prof. Albert Cheng of The Ohio State University speak with Dr. John Ferling, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of West Georgia. Prof. Ferling explains how Jefferson and Hamilton’s sharply different political and economic convictions shaped the early American republic. He explores Jefferson’s American Revolutionary politics, mistrust of centralized power, and more states-driven vision for the nation. Ferling also discusses how Hamilton’s military service under George Washington shaped his case for an energetic national government and political economy grounded in commerce, banking, and manufacturing. He examines the two statesmen’s cabinet clashes, their 1790 compromise, and competing views on constitutionalism, debt, tariffs, and foreign policy. Ferling also considers their responses to the French Revolution, the Jay Treaty, and the Alien and Sedition Acts. He explores Jefferson's victory in the election of 1800, Hamilton’s mortal conflict with Aaron Burr, and how the enduring legacy of Jefferson and Hamilton's rivalry still influences American political life and policy today. Prof. Ferling closes with a reading from his book, Jefferson and Hamilton: The Rivalry That Forged a Nation.