The United States Constitution contains two references to "the General Welfare", one occurring in the Preamble and the other in the Taxing and Spending Clause.
The historical controversy over the U.S. General Welfare Clause arises from two distinct disagreements. The first concerns whether the General Welfare Clause grants an independent spending power or is a restriction upon the taxing power. The second disagreement pertains to what exactly is meant by the phrase "general welfare."
There were two primary authors of the The Federalist essays that set forth separate and conflicting interpretations:
* James Madison advocated for the ratification of the Constitution in The Federalist and at the Virginia ratifying convention upon a narrow construction of the clause, asserting that spending must be at least tangentially tied to one of the other specifically enumerated powers, such as regulating interstate or foreign commerce, or providing for the military, as the General Welfare Clause is not a specific grant of power, but a statement of purpose qualifying the power to tax.
* Alexander Hamilton, only after the Constitution had been ratified, argued for a broad interpretation which viewed spending as an enumerated power Congress could exercise independently to benefit the general welfare, such as to assist national needs in agriculture or education, provided that the spending is general in nature and does not favor any specific section of the country over any other.
And, Hamilton's view prevailed during the administrations of Presidents Washington and Adams, and has been heatedly debated ever since. To date, the Hamiltonian view of the General Welfare Clause predominates in case law.
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Thomas Jefferson also disagreed with Hamilton on what their newly born republic should look like. Jefferson preferred the French style Republic over one similar to the British Monarchy. Jefferson believed that the government was created to ensure peoples liberty. His vision for America was an agrarian society where people could become independent farmers and be self-sufficient. And he wanted to avoid what he witnessed during his years in Europe. He wanted to avoid the urban city messes that were too common in Europe, as well as to avoid the poverty and inequality.
Hamilton's vision was more of an industrialized society and he was partial to the moneyed interests of the cities. He was a believer in a militarily strong national government.
SO...America today is a Hamiltonian republic on steroids, well beyond what even Hamilton would accept. If ANY of our founding fathers were to return to see how their experiment in government turned out, they would be appalled that the corporations and moneyed interests have recreated the aristocracy they fought against.
Thomas Jefferson was probably the most intelligent of of founders IMO. His liberalism and his intellect would guide him if he were to magically reappear. He would view today's society, access the carnage and support the necessary social services that are the consequences of Hamilton's vision.
If our founders returned unrecognized and spoke out, they would be ostracized and labeled traitors, marxists, communists, and liberal fascists 24/7 on Fox News, America's Pravda.
