Jefferson Character Analysis in Hamilton

Played by the same actor as Lafayette, Jefferson is the drafter of the Declaration of Independence and the country’s third president. Jefferson, who preached freedom but held hundreds of slaves, is one of Hamilton’s primary antagonists; he despises Hamilton’s plan for a national bank, he is frequently xenophobic, and he is constantly trying to ruin Hamilton’s reputation (“We Know”). Ultimately, however, Hamilton respects Jefferson more than he respects Aaron Burr, largely because Jefferson has strong beliefs and principles—more than once, Hamilton and Jefferson cooperate, a testament to the necessity of both disagreement and collaboration in democracy (“The Room Where It Happens”).

Jefferson Quotes in Hamilton

The Hamilton quotes below are all either spoken by Jefferson or refer to Jefferson. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Collaboration, Disagreement, and Democracy Theme Icon

ANGELICA: I’ve been reading Common Sense by Thomas Paine.
So men say that I’m intense or I’m insane.
You want a revolution? I wanna revelation
So listen to my declaration:

ELIZA, ANGELICA, PEGGY: “We hold these truths to be self-evident
That all men are created equal.”

ANGELICA: And when I meet Thomas Jefferson […]
I’m ‘a compel him to include women in the sequel!

WOMEN: Work!

Related Characters: Angelica (speaker), Eliza (speaker), Peggy (speaker), Jefferson

Page Number and Citation: 44

Explanation and Analysis:

Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy, the three daughters of the wealthy New York politician Philip Schuyler, have snuck out of their house upstate to ogle all the young revolutionaries in the city. By framing the three sisters as a kind of trio girl group (think Destiny’s Child or The Supremes), Miranda adds a certain contemporary, playful edge to this New York anthem. But Angelica has not come just to flirt. She is determined to assert herself as an intellectual player in her own right, quoting Thomas Jefferson’s “Declaration of Independence” and citing Thomas Paine, one of the most radical thinkers of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendi

HAMILTON: Thomas. That was a real nice declaration.
Welcome to the present. We’re running a real nation.
Would you like to join us, or stay mellow,
Doin’ whatever the hell it is you do in Monticello?
If we assume the debts, the Union gets a new line of credit, a financial diuretic.
How do you not get it? If we’re aggressive and competitive
The Union gets a boost. You’d rather give it a sedative?
A civics lesson from a slaver. Hey neighbor.
Your debts are paid cuz you don’t pay for labor.
“We plant seeds in the ground. We create.” Yeah, keep ranting.
We know who’s really doing the planting.

Related Characters: Alexander Hamilton (speaker), Jefferson

Page Number and Citation: 161

Explanation and Analysis:

In the first cabinet battle, framed as a rap battle between Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, the latter argues against a national bank: why, Jefferson wonders, should wealthy Southerners like himself have to contribute to the overall success of the nation? This reflects Jefferson’s historical perspective—along with James Madison, he envisioned the United States as a rural, pastoral nation, built on agriculture and (implicitly) on slavery. In other words, Jefferson saw his Monticello plantation as a template for the entire country. Here, Hamilton calls Jefferson out for his backhanded defense of slavery, reminding the Virginian that he is a “slaver.” Jefferson’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspic

HAMILTON, JEFFERSON, MADISON, WASHINGTON: What do you want, Burr?
What do you want, Burr?
If you stand for nothing,
Burr, what do you fall for?

BURR: I
Wanna be in
The room where it happens.
The room where it happens.
I
Wanna be in
The room where it happens.
The room where it happens.

Related Characters: Madison (speaker), Aaron Burr (speaker), Alexander Hamilton (speaker), George Washington (speaker), Jefferson (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 161

Explanation and Analysis:

Having finally learned how to play political games, Hamilton asks Jefferson and Madison to dinner—and behind closed doors, the three men agree to create a national bank. When Burr learns that Hamilton has successfully “talked less” and “smiled more,” he is outraged. But though the Founding Fathers, acting as audience surrogates, push Burr to explain his outrage, this stunning moment reveals that there is absolutely nothing behind his desire for power. Burr does not “stand” for any principle besides his own reputation; he will not “fall” for anything besides his own sense of honor. And so while Hamilton, Washington, Jefferson, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deseru

JEFFERSON: He knows nothing of loyalty.
Smells like new money, dresses like fake royalty.
Desperate to rise above his station,
Everything he does betrays the ideals of our nation.
And if ya don’t know, now ya know, Mr. President.

Related Characters: Jefferson (speaker), Alexander Hamilton, George Washington

Page Number and Citation: 161

Explanation and Analysis:

In this second cabinet battle, again moderated by George Washington, Jefferson tries to win U.S. support for the French Revolution by attacking Hamilton personally. Given that Jefferson is played by the same actor who played Lafayette in Act 1, there is a nice symmetry, both historically and dramaturgically, in this pro-France attitude. But more importantly, Jefferson now shows himself to be proudly elitist and xenophobic. He equates Hamilton’s “new money” with a lack of “loyalty,” suggesting that those without wealth are not to be trusted. And Jefferson argues that in seeking social mobility (both in terms of class and nationality), Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perfe

HAMILTON: I have never agreed with Jefferson once.
We have fought on like seventy-five diff’rent fronts!
But when all is said and all is done.
Jefferson has beliefs. Burr has none.

Related Characters: Alexander Hamilton (speaker), Aaron Burr, Lafayette, Jefferson

Page Number and Citation: 261

Explanation and Analysis:

Historically, Jefferson ran for president and Burr ran for vice president; however, when the two men tied in the electoral college, Burr began to seek out the presidency for himself. In both real life and “The Election of 1800,” Hamilton became the guiding voice for all of the Federalists in Congress—and it was because Hamilton chose to back Jefferson that he ultimately triumphed. Here, Hamilton doles out his endorsement, but not without acknowledging the fraught past that he and Jefferson have shared. Indeed, the two men have “never agreed”—but at least they have disagreed, whereas Burr has always remained on Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mol

Jefferson Character Timeline in Hamilton

The timeline below shows where the character Jefferson appears in Hamilton. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...effort: she boasts of reading Thomas Paine’s crucial treatise Common Sense and complains that Thomas Jefferson left women out of the Declaration of Independence. As the song comes to a close,... (full context)

In 1789, Hamilton is running the Treasury Department, and Jefferson is about to become Secretary of State. But Jefferson has been in France for much... (full context)

As Jefferson prepares to head to Washington, Madison warns him that Hamilton’s plan is overreaching. Jefferson quickly... (full context)

Hamilton and Jefferson face off about whether or not to create a national bank. Washington moderates the debate.... (full context)

Hamilton and Jefferson continue to trade barbs. When things get a little too heated (“turn around, bend over... (full context)

Hamilton is frustrated that Jefferson and Madison are ganging up on him, but Washington is firm that the only way... (full context)

...Burr (“talk less / smile more.”) Indeed, Hamilton has set up a cozy dinner with Jefferson and Madison, and Burr is enraged to have been excluded. (full context)

Though Jefferson and Hamilton tell slightly different stories, both agree on the basic details of what went... (full context)

Jefferson and Hamilton face off about whether the new United States should intervene in the French... (full context)

Immigration and Diversity of Influence Theme Icon

Jefferson accuses Hamilton of betraying the French, who had helped the Americans so much in their... (full context)

Before Hamilton can glory in his victory, however, Jefferson and Madison corner him and remind him that Washington will not be president forever. In... (full context)

Jefferson, Madison, and Burr—all now part of the Democratic-Republican Party—express their frustration at Hamilton’s success. Jefferson... (full context)

...he wants Hamilton to write his final speech. Hamilton panics, especially when he realizes that Jefferson will now likely run for (and win) the office. But Washington is firm that “if... (full context)

Soon President Adams fires Hamilton, calling him a “Creole bastard,” and Thomas Jefferson becomes Adams’s vice president. In response, Hamilton comes back with a rant, damaging both himself... (full context)

Jefferson, Burr, and Madison accuse Hamilton of using his role in the Treasury to embezzle money.... (full context)

...and the blackmail scheme that followed it. While the public freaks out at Hamilton’s revelations, Jefferson and his friends cackle that “he’s never gon’ be president now.” (full context)

...at her side”). King George also arrives to laugh at Hamilton. The song ends when Jefferson and Burr revel in Hamilton’s self-destruction: “you ever see somebody ruin their own life? /... (full context)

Sometime later, Hamilton must choose between voting for Jefferson or Burr in the 1800 presidential election. The song begins when Jefferson asks, “can we... (full context)

...Hamilton become the deciding vote. Though he does not like either candidate, he ultimately chooses Jefferson—“when all is said and all is done,” Hamilton reasons, “Jefferson has beliefs. Burr has none.”... (full context)

The company gathers to commemorate Hamilton one final time. Jefferson and Madison begrudgingly admit that his financial plans were genius (despite all the time they... (full context)

Jefferson Character Analysis

Jefferson Quotes in Hamilton

Act 1: The Schuyler Sisters Quotes

Act 2: Cabinet Battle #1 Quotes

Act 2: The Room Where it Happens Quotes

Act 2: Cabinet Battle #2 Quotes

Act 2: Election of 1800 Quotes

Jefferson Character Timeline in Hamilton