Question

What were Thomas Jefferson's arguments against Hamilton's financial program?

A strong Federal government was vital for the nation.
The Constitution did not give the Federal government the right to create a national bank.
The paying of war debts by the Federal government would establish trust in the country.
Tariffs would hurt southern farmers.
Southern states had paid their debts; the other states could do the same.

Answer 1

Correct answers: 2, 4, and 5.

Brief explanations:
- 2 (The Constitution did not give the Federal government the right to create a national bank): Yes. Jefferson was a strict constructionist and argued the Constitution did not authorize a national bank; he opposed Hamilton’s use of implied powers.
- 4 (Tariffs would hurt southern farmers): Yes. Jefferson feared protective tariffs and other federal taxes would favor northern manufacturers and burden the agrarian South.
- 5 (Southern states had paid their debts; the other states could do the same): Yes. Jefferson objected to federal assumption of state debts as unfair to states (like Virginia) that had already paid much of their debts; he argued it rewarded profligate states/creditors and penalized those that had been frugal.

Incorrect:
- 1 is the opposite of Jefferson’s position — he favored limited federal power and stronger state authority.
- 3 describes Hamilton’s argument (that federal payment of war debts would establish national credit), not Jefferson’s.