The Economic Debate

For John, BLUF:  The costumes change, but the economic questions stay the same.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

Toward the end of January, the Smithsonian will conduct a debate between Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, on how to fix the economy—in 1790.  I am sure the discussion will echo down the years to today. If you are down in the DC area around that time it might be an interesting event. I post this as I got it.

Hamilton v. Jefferson: How Should the Government Stimulate an Economy in Crisis?
Evening Seminar
Thursday, January 24 - 6:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The challenges facing America after independence resonate with those facing many governments today. Beset by unpaid debt, a crippled economy, and growing popular discontent, the national government under the Articles of Confederation had proven inadequate to chart a road to recovery.

The new federal Constitution, adopted in 1787, brought fresh hope as well as bitter disagreement among political leaders. Two of George Washington’s first-term cabinet members, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, came to vigorously dislike each other as they clashed on questions of politics and policy, and no issue proved more divisive than the role of the federal government in the fledgling nation’s economy.

A Smithsonian Debate brings these men and their conflicting political philosophies to life in a lively, interactive event—in which the audience plays a key role.

Embracing an expansive view of the powers of the new Constitution, Secretary of the Treasury Hamilton proposed innovative programs to stimulate economic recovery and to create an “energetic” national government. Secretary of State Jefferson pushed in a different direction, searching for a sustainable balance of power between the central government and the states.

Their debates and disputes highlight differences over policy, the meaning of the Constitution, and the nature of federalism itself—arguments that continue in earnest to this day.

6:45 to 7:45 p.m. Debate

7:45 to 8:15 p.m. Deliberation

Enjoy a glass of wine while developing questions to pose to the debaters.

8:15 to 9 p.m. Decision

Debaters respond to audience questions; a show-of-hands vote selects the winner.

Richard Bell (who portrays Hamilton) and Whitman Ridgway (Jefferson) are both members of the faculty of the University of Maryland’s history department. Rosemarie Zagarri, a professor of U.S. history at George Mason University, moderates.

Regards  —  Cliff