Which would you be?

During the presidency of George Washington a personal political conflict quickly developed into a partisan war.  As a result, Washington's cabinet was soon beset by competing political visions of the emerging republic. 

The generals in this political conflict were Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.  Hamilton looked at the emerging nation and saw great commercial potential.  In Hamilton's eyes, the United States' future was directly tied to industry and trade.  Through the construction of global trading networks, close commerical ties to Britain, and support for emerging industries a solid economic foundation could be laid.  With such a vision Hamilton believed it was necesary to have a powerful and active central government that could protect and promote such economic progress. 

Jefferson, with great assistance from his political right-hand James Madison, took a contrary view.  In Jefferson's mind, the foundation of a stable and free democracy lay not in commercial interests but rather in the yeoman farmer.  Jeffersonian ideals were based on this notion of agarian republicanism.  Republican ideals were best promoted and protected when power was rested in the independent farmer who was bound to his land through his labor.  Thus, for Jefferson, government should be closely tied to this population.  Anything that broke this principle was a direct threat to democracy and a promotion of tyranny.

Now, whose vision was correct?  You are now tasked with defending one of the two visions as the correct political philosophy for the United States.  In your defense make sure you discuss governmental power (where should power rest and what are the government's proper responsibilities), foreign policy, and constitutional interpretation.  Remember to keep a 1790s perspective.

So...are you are Hamiltonian Federalist or a Jeffersonian Democratic-Republican?