George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are two of the two most admired presidents in American history.George Washington (1789-1799), born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, was the first president of America, succeeded by his Vice-President, John Adams, and its founding father. His presidential tenure lasted from 1789-1797.On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), born in Shadwell, Virginia, United States, was the third U.S. president, from 1801-1809. We are often of the perception that founding fathers would have had no worries among them, but turns out we are wrong, the testimony to which is the relationship of George and Jefferson. While initially, these two had no issues, it is believed that politics led to their strained relations. or was it just politics and there were other reasons as well? Many questions such as this one might be hovering over your mind, so let us get to the chase and learn all about these two giants o the American revolution.Read along to find out their contributions to the national government, relationship with Great Britain, and formation of the national bank.If you enjoyed reading this article, you must also check facts on Teddy Roosevelt early life and Teddy Roosevelt children.Insightful: George Washington Vs Thomas JeffersonThere have been many controversial topics like Thomas Jefferson vs. George Washington musical Hamilton, George Washington vs Thomas Jefferson government, George Washington vs Thomas Jefferson inaugural speech, and many more in the country.Both Washington and Jefferson had their differences and brought distinct abilities and thoughts to the table. But besides the divergences, they shared things in common too. They were born in Virginia and loved the land with their whole hearts. Washington was connected to his home at Mount Vernon in the same way Jefferson tended to his home at Monticello.Further, while apprehension between the American colonies and Great Britain was on the rise, which was enlarged after the bloodshed in the battles of Lexington and Concord, both the founding fathers agreed on launching into defiance and confrontation. Additionally, during the Second Continental Congress revolutionary assembly, held in May 1175, which involved the presence of delegates from all 13 colonies, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, both of whom represented Virginia, were also present, along with Patrick Henry, also a founding father.And noteworthy is the commendation that both the leaders gave to each other, but it was only short-lived due to the political breach that strained their relationship. At one point, the relationship between Washington and Jefferson had hit so low that Washington’s wife, Martha Washington, on his encounter with Jefferson, termed it as the second most excruciating occurrence of her life, the first being the death of her husband, and later said about Jefferson that he was the greatest mishap for the country ever. It is true what they say about Martha Washington: she was outspoken and frequently spoke against the erstwhile American government.Political: George Washington Vs Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was named the president’s first Secretary of State when George Washington went on to become America’s first president. But with the change of events, political dissension led them to grow further away from each other, which only grew with the variation in their thoughts and opinions.The biggest dissent originated when Washington supported the federalists, who stood for a strong center that had an upper hand in regulating the economy, and the Anti-Federalist ideology, one where the supporters believed in the distribution of powers among the local levels and also thought of Washington as a monarchist, was backed by Jefferson.One man who is credited with widening the drift between them is Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers, who is also known to have served Washington as Secretary of the Treasury. The variations between Jefferson and Hamilton were at their peak. Both Washington and Jefferson contributed to the war in different capacities. While Washington led the Continental Army during the revolution, Jefferson served as a diplomat to France. And after the French Revolution, Jefferson assumed leadership of the republican government. Jefferson resigned from the cabinet at the end of 1793.Their divergence reached its highest point when the letter written by Jefferson to his friend Phillip Mazzei became public and was printed in the press in 1796. He had written about the federalists as aristocrats, Anglicans, and monarchical. He also called them apostates. Jefferson wrote in the letter that an aristocratical party had sprung up. It described Washington as a puppet of the British. After this event, the two never conversed again, and Washington died in 1799. Both had competing visions.Inspirational: George Washington Vs Thomas JeffersonWhile George Washington was predominant in shaping the America that we see today, Thomas Jefferson was an overriding contributor to the Declaration of Independence. But which of the two was the best? Well, this is for you to decide by scrolling below.Did you know, Washington did not finish college and is the only major founding father to have done so? Also, an attack led by Washington in 1754 and his subsequent surrender to the French forces caused the French and Indian War. He was elected president of the United States twice and unanimously.To add to that, he was also the president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and during the Revolutionary War that he courageously led, he showed that even with no experience, he had the potential to apply a winning strategy. But this is not where Washington’s duty as military commander ends. In 1798, when there were chances of a war with France, Washington was asked by President John Adams to assemble and command the nation’s army, in case they were required to face the French.But it is not all glitter and glory, Washington also had enemies, such as Thomas Paine, who in a letter to Washington wrote that he wished Washington would die and the British too, hated him for he, according to 2012, was their greatest military enemy.Speaking of Thomas Jefferson, who, among other things, is most widely renowned for his role in formulating the Declaration of Independence and, of course, his two terms as America’s president, had a staunch curiosity for a wide range of intellectual things. Jefferson was fond of French culture, be it their art, cuisine, or architecture, and was excellent regarding foreign affairs, evident by the time he served as the U.S. minister to France.Jefferson, being proficient in economics, was against the use of banknotes as currency and believed in free-market policies.Thomas Jefferson was also an advocate for fundamental rights and a vigorous supporter of the French Revolution, so much so, that he stood for providing education to slaves and pushed Robert Pleasants to turn this dream into a reality by making it legislation.Funny: George Washington Vs Thomas JeffersonWhile the above-stated facts about President Washington and President Jefferson make a great career highlight, they are far from the only fun and interesting things about them.Jefferson loved books, and we mean that in the literal sense of the word. Don’t believe us? Here’s a fact for you: when, in 1814, the Congress’ original library was destroyed by British troops, Thomas Jefferson stepped up to offer his own library, consisting of 6,487 books. Astounding, right?Because of a treaty or a transaction that Jefferson made with France during his term as president, which was the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States, great diplomatic skills indeed. It is believed that when John Adam died, he said, ‘Thomas Jefferson Survives’. This might make you wonder if they were good friends because they were best of friends and both died within hours of each other on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.George Washington too had this kind of bond with Alexander Hamilton, who was like family to Washington since he promoted him to the position of Lieutenant Colonel and also made Hamilton his aide-de-camp. Alexander Hamilton was also one of the founding fathers and helped draft the constitution.George Washington’s secretary was a big topic back in the day. George Washington’s secretary of state for treasury was Alexander Hamilton. James Monroe was a protege of Thomas Jefferson. Henry Knox was close to George Washington, who appointed him the first United States Secretary of War from 1789 to 1794. There have been political differences between the Washington administration and what Jefferson believed in. Some political parties believed that Washington’s administration was better.While Jefferson had a friend in John Adams, he found his best friend in James Madison. They first met in the fall of 1776, and since then they developed the closest of bonds, and their partnership, by some, is labeled as ’the great collaboration’. Both Jefferson and James Madison founded the Democratic-Republican Party in 1792, which is also known as the Jeffersonian Republican Party, while Washington was a member of the Federalist Party.Talking about the subject of critics and supporters, it is worth mentioning the name of Philip Freneau, who strongly criticized George Washington and was an adherent of Jefferson.George Washington wrote his farewell address before retiring to his home at Mount Vernon, Virginia. This farewell address was to his friends and family and also to his fellow citizens. After that, he distributed some of his wealth to help the poor and downtrodden and supported the construction of the National University of Washington, D.C., among other areas.Also, Washington’s role as a military commander includes one more fact: when the Whiskey Rebellion began to pose a threat to the country’s stability, Washington himself led the military towards the west to stop the rebels.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for George Washington vs Thomas Jefferson then why not take a look at interesting facts about Teddy Roosevelt, or Teddy Roosevelt presidency?
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are two of the two most admired presidents in American history.
