ABSTRACT
Thomas Jefferson mesmerized the Democratic Party for a hundred years. The record of his career and influence is extraordinary. Jefferson believed, in short, that there are among us, always and everywhere, dishonest men who seek constantly to subvert, the proper social order and exploit their fellow men. It was in this fundamental view of society that Jefferson gave to his posterity what has been called his ideology of conflict, his belief that there is an inherent struggle going on constantly in society between the masses and those who would exploit them. After religious freedom had been established in Virginia, and the independence of the nation assured, this aspect of Jefferson’s world view grew dominant in his work and writings. In Jefferson’s eyes, the evil spirit behind all the machinations underway to corrupt the new nation was Alexander Hamilton. He became Jefferson’s grand obsession.
