DBQ 6
Analyze the extent to which Jeffersonian Republicans were influenced by the ideas of Alexander
Hamilton during the period 1790-1825.
In the years leading up to the first election of Thomas Jefferson the United States was in a
state of political chaos. The Federalists led by Alexander Hamilton were speaking about ideas of
a strong federal government and trickle down economics. However, the Anti-Federalists led by
Thomas Jefferson believed in a government led by the states, and that the middle-class/poor
people should have the power. The Federalists went to great extremes to gain more power such
as the Alien and Sedition Acts that trampled on the rights of the people, while the Anti-
Federalists focused more on supporting the people by trying to remove the legislation of the
Federalists. Eventually the Anti-Federalists came to power with the election of Jefferson to the
presidency in 1801. The Anti-Federalists held to their own principles for a while, but ultimately
the Jeffersonian Republicans were very influenced by the Federalists during Jefferson’s
presidency, due to the threat of the British, Jefferson’s desire to keep a small navy, and the harsh
reality of how much power states can really use on their own.
The Jeffersonian Republicans struggled to stick to their ideals and started acting in a
more Federalist fashion because the British were becoming a bigger threat every day. A political
cartoon titled “The Happy Effects of That Grand System of Shutting Ports Against the
English,”(Doc 4) depiects very unhappy American citizens who have lost their jobs and any way
of getting the resources they need because of the Embargo Act that Jefferson implemented. The
Embargo Act was created because Jefferson hoped to make Britain and France bend to the wills
of America. However, Britain and France were much stronger than America and so his plan
backfired on the well-being of the American citizens. The purpose of this document is to show
