Differing Opinions of Liberty

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that for Thomas Paine, liberty was "common sense," the catchphrase that he used to describe his sermonizing pamphlet of 1776 denouncing monarchy. The writer notes that while this might have seemed nonsense to a colonist of a dozen years earlier, in 1776 it roused a people ready for independence. The writer then points out that Adams regarded the form of government as important and that he firmly believed that the separation of powers in government was essential to control human nature's tendency to become tyrannical. The writer notes that, unlike most of those around him, Hamilton favored monarchy and felt there were sound reasons for strengthening government. Finally, the writer points out that it was Thomas Jefferson, of course, who penned the opening of the Declaration of Independence.

From the Paper:

"Hamilton felt there were sound reasons for strengthening government. In 1791, the Congress authorized an excise tax on distilled whiskey. To westerners, this was an insult. With only crude roads through much of the country beyond the bare seaboard, the westerners had no efficient way of moving grain. Grain distilled into whiskey was far more compact and marketable. Further, Hamilton's financial policies had so restricted currency that in the western territories nation that there was essentially no conventional currency. Whiskey became the accepted medium of exchange, offered and accepted in exchange for other goods. As a result, a tax on this amounted to an attack on their prosperity."

Sample of Sources Used:

• McCullough, David. John Adams. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.
• Middlekauf,Robert. The Glorious Cause. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 1982.
• Miller, John. The Federalist Era, 1780-1801. New York, New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1960.
• Parrington, Vernon. The Colonial Mind, 1620-1800. New York, New York: Harcourt, Barce & World, 1927.
• Perry, Ralph. Puritanism and Democracy. New York, New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1944.

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• Analytical Essay # 130731 : "Liberty and Paine, Adams, Hamilton and Jefferson"
• Comparison Essay # 5356 : "Personal Liberty within Government"
• Comparison Essay # 4465 : "What is Political Power?"

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