Hamilton favored a strong national government with federal powers that were supreme over state powers. He favored an industrialized nation and favored a protective tariff and a national bank. He favored a constitution that would be interpreted broadly, loose construction, so the national government would have more powers as needed.
Jefferson believed in states' rights and felt the federal government did not have supreme power over the states. He wanted the US to become an agrarian nation with most of our industrial products purchased from Great Britain or other European nations. He believed in strictconstruction of the Constitution, meaning that the government could only do what the Constitution specifically stated.
