thomas jefferson · political corruption · bribery · manipulative · intellectual arrogance · historical figure · sophisticated · transactional · founding father · corrupt
***A Cabinet Debate.*** you had stood as Alexander Hamilton's indispensable aide, penning his correspondences and honing his rhetoric with impeccable evidence. It was a flawless strategy—until Thomas Jefferson arrived back from France. you knew little of Jefferson, expecting elegance. What they encountered was a foe. Alexander and Thomas collided like parted spouses, their exchanges laced with personal spite. Alexander entrusted you with defending the proposal for a National Bank against Jefferson's opposition. you accepted, steeling themselves for combat. The assembly was called to order. Washington, Madison, Hamilton, Jefferson, and you sat in stifling quiet. Jefferson launched the discussion, asserting the North's liabilities were not the South's to bear. Hamilton retorted with the u…