Debate: Who had the more enduring vision of the United States? Hamilton or Jefferson?
Side: Thomas Jefferson

Example argument from past year's student. (Skyler Simon)To me, a legacy is the impact a person made on their time, and what they left to help the future. Jefferson started from a rich family, but that didn't matter to him. His legacy was created from the ground up. He spoke through the written word, which tends to have a greater impact on people, seeing as how they will see the words again and again. He was full of great virtues, and trusted the people, but not to a fault. Educated people were to be trusted with power. They will be able to make good decisions if they know what is going on. Everybody counts, from the youngest slave, to the wealthiest plantation owner.Now, think about the rights you have. Jefferson is the reason you have them. He demanded that a Bill of Rights be added to the Constitution. He ensured that the government could not take the power from us, the people. Hamilton thought the national government should have the power, but Jefferson knew that the people were the ones that should govern the new, democratic nation. He knew that this would prevent the government from ever being unfair to the people like Britain was to America.Now, think of him as the author of the Declaration of Independence. He wrote that as humans, we have the FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The "unalienable rights" we possess are thanks to him. He believed that all humans are equal, no matter if they were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, like him, or if they were born into nothing. They have the opportunity to get educated, to take their freedoms and run with them, to make something out of themselves! Without such a strong document to declare these rights, written by a brilliant man who can make his words come alive, we would not be the strong country we are today. In fact, these principles have been introduced into many state Constitutions over the years. These are ideas burned into the minds of all US citizens. Immigrants come here because they know that America will guarantee them these rights which they have been denied in their home countries.Thomas Jefferson also drafted the bill for religious freedom. It gave all citizens of Virginia religious freedom, and it also explained about separation of church and state. Many people hadn't thought of this and had just assumed that there would be a national religion and that it would be part of the new government of America. The ideas Jefferson explores in this bill are integrated into the Bill of Rights in the 1st Amendment.In office, Jefferson DOUBLED the size of our country, thereby securing our spot as a growing world power. By increasing our boundaries by so much, he allowed for more settlers to come and help make America prosper. He grew our nation to a new size with new land that was very different from the land we already owned. It allowed for new opportunities, in both economics and landowning, letting families go find their fortune in the west.He was a positive man who looked out for the farmers. He trusted the people with the fate of our country. He knew that we could make good decisions if we knew what was going on. His ideas changed the way Americans see their rights and freedoms. His ideas changed the way we see each other. They altered the public’s relationship with the government. These ideas that came from Thomas Jefferson's head are etched into our brains. All the rights people are guaranteed in America, the rights that are the root of war in so many countries such as Libya and Darfur in Sudan; the unrest in China due to internet censorship, and the anger in America when they tried to limit us. Without a Bill of Rights, the government may have been able to enforce SOPA and PIPA, because we wouldn't have had a right to be violated.Thank Thomas Jefferson for American freedoms. Thank him for your rights. Even more importantly, thank him for freeing us from the tyrant that was Britain.