Jefferson and Hamilton Debate Foreign Policy in Cabinet Battle #2

From Hamilton the Musical (Broadway)

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Run time: 2:24

Clip Description: Jefferson and Hamilton have a rap battle in an effort to sway George Washington’s decision. Jefferson would like the US to get involved in France’s war, while Hamilton argues the US should stay out. This was set in the late 1700s, but arguments over whether the US should get involved militarily in far away lands are still happening today.

American Politics Concepts Discussed/Connected To: This clip is useful for discussing the president’s control of foreign policy, the force of treaty obligations when the government that signed them no longer exists, and the doctrine of neutrality that Washington went on to proclaim in 1793. It is also one of the clearest illustrations of how the first party system formed out of a foreign-policy disagreement rather than a domestic one.

Possible Uses in Classroom: Use this clip to open a unit on foreign policy powers, or on the origins of political parties. Pair it with Washington’s Neutrality Proclamation of 1793 and ask students whether Hamilton’s argument is about principle or about a weak state’s capacity to fight a war it cannot afford.

Discussion Questions

Jefferson’s argument is that the United States owes France a debt — a treaty signed, and a revolution that would not have succeeded without French help. Hamilton’s is that treaties bind governments, and the government that signed had since been overthrown. Which is the better account of what a treaty is: a promise between states that survives a change of regime, or a bargain with the particular people who made it? Whichever you pick commits you to something about every alliance the United States holds now.
Washington settled the argument by proclaiming neutrality in 1793, on his own. Article I gives Congress the power to declare war; Article II makes the president commander in chief. Two centuries of presidents have used force without a declaration, and Congress has mostly gone along. Is that executive usurpation, or a legislature choosing not to spend its own capital on a vote it would rather not take? Say what evidence would settle it for you.
The number is staged so that Hamilton wins — better rhymes, and Washington’s ear. Notice whether you had agreed with him before he finished. What is it about “stay out of it” that reads as hard-headed and adult, and about “we gave our word” that reads as naive? Would the framing hold up if the country asking for help were one you cared about?

Clip hosted on Critical Commons.