The Constitution, the living document of our nation, was and continues to be the epicenter of political discussions. Whether something is constitutional or not is usually the topic at the forefront of everyone's minds when new laws or controversial programs are passed. This was the same in Jeffersonian Democracy as well. The consistency of a president's philosophy and how he applied it as president were always scrutinized. Democratic Republican presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, are among those presidents who have had their philosophies dismantled and Americans still do so today. History has painted them as hypocrites who actually reflected the views of Federalists like Alexander Hamilton during their presidencies. However, in reality they were not. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison are victims of being unfairly labeled as hypocrites when in reality their intention was simply to do what was best for the country as a whole. Hamilton was very specific in the moves he made and the people he supported. He was known for advocating a free interpretation of the Constitution and for promoting a strong central government. Hamilton was more interested in keeping the rich interested in the federal government at the expense of the poor. This is because as long as the poor owed the rich money, the rich would do everything they could to keep the government running so they could get their money. This was the cycle that kept government in business and probably still does today. In terms of money, Hamilton was a supporter of the Bank of the United States, chartered in 1791. He wanted the bank to allow the federal government to issue paper money and manage tax revenues along with other government funds. Madison and Jefferson were adamant… middle of the paper… they did what they did because it was for the good of the nation. They may have said one thing and done another, but their intentions were never malicious. Their goal was never to abuse their power. It's normal for people to change their minds. Once they got into office and realized how difficult decisions like those were, that's when they had to apply common sense. John Calhoun said it best in his speech before Congress [Doc I]. The central and state governments need each other. Instead of focusing so much on the Constitution: how politicians interpret, uphold, and enforce it, how about we focus on the real issue. All the different views of the Constitution do nothing but distract people from the real issue at hand. Instead of separating parties and making state and federal governments fight tooth and nail, government officials should do what's best for both.