I’ve received the next transmission from the Elections-verse! Thankfully, this one is from a reality where the Constitution was successfully ratified and George Washington was elected as the first president of the United States. Seems like things are pretty normal so far… hold on, the capital is where now??
For a refresher on what really happened, remember that you can always check out the first version of this blog.
The Last Four Years
As you probably know, George Washington established many of the presidential precedents that we take for granted today. One of those important tasks was to staff the first cabinet. His two most consequential appointments were Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. And they had very different views on the future of America!
Hamilton was born in the British-owned Caribbean and moved to New York City to earn an education. He joined the local militia during the Revolutionary War, eventually working his way up to become George Washington’s aide. After the war, he worked as a lawyer and was a congressional delegate under the Articles of Confederation. He was a loud critic of the Articles, arguing for a strong central government that would unite the states and promote the common good. Fittingly, he was the chief architect of its replacement, the Constitution. As Secretary of Treasury, he hoped to push the powers of the federal government to their limit.
Jefferson was, in many ways, Hamilton’s opposite. His family owned a large planation in Virginia, which he inherited, along with several hundred slaves. He well-educated and influential in Virginia politics, serving two one-year terms as governor. By far, his biggest claim-to-fame was being the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. Under the Articles of Confederation, Jefferson served as Minister to France, where he formed close ties with French Revolutionaries. He believed in a small federal government to ensure individual and state rights. He disliked northern businesses and banks, instead favoring a primarily agrarian society.
Together, Hamilton and Jefferson personified America’s earliest political divisions, and Washington was the moderate compromiser between them.
Major Issues
One of the most pressing issues facing the new government was the large debt leftover from the Revolutionary War. Hamilton took this crisis very seriously. He had intricate plans for the US financial system, starting with the federal government absorbing the states’ debts into one national debt. This would make it easier to manage and pay off, and have the added effect of uniting the states’ financial interests. The bond that Hamilton envisioned in the Constitution would be solidified. Predictably, states with less debt were not fans of this idea. They felt that they would be punished for controlling their finances, while other states would get an easy way out. Hamilton aggressively lobbied for his plan to Congress, an unprecedented move at the time. Unfortunately, he was having little luck swaying small-government ideologues. He needed a compromise.
Another surprisingly controversial issue for the new government was the location of the national capital. The Constitution stipulated that a new district, controlled directly by Congress, would be created to serve as the government’s home. Ideally, by politically isolating this land, no one state would have an outsized relationship to the federal government. It did not, however, specify where this district should be.
At the time, the federal government was housed in New York City. Hamilton, who had strong personal ties to the city, hoped it would remain there so he could work closely with the nation’s most prominent banks and business. This would create one central hub for American political and economic power, much like London for the British Empire. Southerners preferred a location more geographically centered. The Potomac River, between Virginia and Maryland, would be particularly convenient due to its proximity to Washington’s and Jefferson’s homes. Others, who wanted a Northern city but disliked Hamilton, favored Philadelphia or nearby Trenton.
Hamilton realized that the location of the capital was a secondary concern to his plans for the national debt. In the long run, tying together the financial fortunes of the states would do much more to increase the power of the federal government than its physical location. He was willing to accept moving the capital to the Potomac River in exchange for Congressional approval of his debt plan. He met with Jefferson and his ally, Virginia Representative James Madison, to negotiate.
~The Time Warp~
No deal! In this timeline, Jefferson and Madison saw right through Hamilton’s plan. They knew that they would be ceding a large amount of power to the Treasury, and felt that the move to the Potomac was inevitable on its own. Hamilton’s grand scheme failed. He was not able to control state’s debts, and he would never enact his additional plans like founding a national bank. The states continued to struggle financially, and the country faced a deepening economic crisis.
The Winner
Even in this alternate universe, no one can beat George Washington! He easily won re-election. However, with Hamilton’s positioned weakened, his fellow Federalists could not re-elect John Adams as vice president. Instead, the small government faction, who soon became known as the Democratic-Republicans, successfully elected New York Governor George Clinton as his replacement.
The Future
Jefferson was not in the running for VP (per the Constitution, the Virginia electors were not be able to vote for both native sons, him and Washington), but he was clearly in the strongest political position. The rejection of the debt plan was devastating to Hamilton. He cut his losses and resigned from his position in Washington’s cabinet. Jefferson became the dominant force behind most of the President’s decision-making. He made sure the federal government remained as weak as possible, and was favorable to the South.
One thing that Jefferson could not control, however, was the location of the capital. Without Hamilton’s compromise, Congress was in a deadlock. The capital remained in New York City, where it became even more associated with the corruption and lobbying that we have in our timeline. As the financial interests of the states were only loosely tied together, Congressmen were eager to act in their own interests. This symbol of America was in stark contrast to the agrarian society that Jefferson dreamed of. The Southern states felt particularly alienated from the federal government, and bitter towards the North. As the country faced the crises of the early-1800s, particularly around westward expansion and slavery, the South was quick to resort to secession.
What Did It Say About America?
The selfish motivations of each individual state would always win out over the greater good of the country as a whole. Meanwhile, the government’s closeness to big business damaged its reputation. In some ways, the worst versions of Hamilton’s and Jefferson’s visions for the country had became reality.
Was It The Right Decision?
Again, no! Hamilton’s plans were very important for making America the strong nation that it is today. In real life, Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans would have plenty of political power in the next decade. By then, they were ready to absorb the Federalists’ best ideas into their own platforms.
Images
1. City of Washington from Beyond the Navy Yard, 1833 — George Cooke, The White House Historical Association / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
2. Alexander Hamilton, 1806 — John Trumbull, Google Art Project / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
3. Official Presidential Portrait of Thomas Jefferson, 1801 — Rembrandt Peale / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
4. Washington’s Inauguration, 1899 — Ramon de Elorriaga, Encyclopedia Britannica / Wikimedia Commonns / Public Domain
5. The Government House, New York, 1797 — W. J. Condit, New York Public Library / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
Resources
Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton. The Penguin Press, 2004.
Election Tuesdays 
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