George Washington vs Thomas Jefferson
George Washington
United States- 1st President of the United States
- Commander in Chief of the Continental Army
Virginia planter, Continental Army commander and first U.S. president who backed a stronger national government, presidential neutrality abroad and the precedent of leaving office after two terms.
Full profile of George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
United States- 3rd President of the United States
- Principal author of the Declaration of Independence
Author of the Declaration of Independence and third U.S. president who championed limited federal government, states' rights, an agrarian republic and the separation of church and state, while holding hundreds of people in slavery.
Full profile of Thomas JeffersonIn short
How they compare
George Washington (1732-1799) and Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) are a 76% match on the 10 axes where both have a clear record.
They differ most on structure (George Washington: central (moderate); Thomas Jefferson: local (moderate)), religion (George Washington: religious (mild); Thomas Jefferson: secular (moderate)) and security (George Washington: order (mild); Thomas Jefferson: liberty (moderate)). They are closest on welfare, ownership and morality.
On the economy their positions are close; on state and liberty George Washington sits further toward authority; on society George Washington sits further toward tradition; on the world stage George Washington sits further toward nation.
Generated from the two sourced profiles on this site. Each axis placement and its reasoning is on the full profile pages.
★ By family of axes
- Economy3 axes
- George Washingtonmarkets (mild)Thomas Jeffersonmarkets (moderate)
- State and liberty3 axes
- George Washingtonauthority (mild)Thomas Jeffersonliberty (moderate)
- Society2 axes
- George Washingtontradition (moderate)Thomas Jeffersonprogress (mild)
- World2 axes
- George Washingtonnation (mild)Thomas Jeffersonbalanced
- George Washington: petals and stars
- Thomas Jefferson: dashed outline
★ Where they differ most
- Structure95 points apart
George Washington: Central (moderate). Thomas Jefferson: Local (moderate).
- Religion80 points apart
George Washington: Religious (mild). Thomas Jefferson: Secular (moderate).
- Security70 points apart
George Washington: Order (mild). Thomas Jefferson: Liberty (moderate).
- Authority25 points apart
George Washington: Democratic (mild). Thomas Jefferson: Democratic (moderate).
★ Where they are closest
- Welfare · 0 apart
- Morality · 10 apart
- Ownership · 10 apart
Axis by axis
Thomas Jefferson
Economy
Equality / Markets- OwnershipModerate: Private30%70%PublicPrivate
- MarketsMild: Free43%57%PlannedFree
- WelfareModerate: Self-reliant28%72%SharedSelf-reliant
State and liberty
Liberty / Authority- AuthorityMild: Democratic63%37%DemocraticStrong leader
- SecurityMild: Order35%65%LibertyOrder
- StructureModerate: Central33%67%LocalCentral
Society
Progress / Tradition- MoralityModerate: Traditional28%72%ProgressiveTraditional
- ReligionMild: Religious38%62%SecularReligious
- TechnologyNo clear recordEmbraceCaution
- CultureNo clear recordMulticulturalNational identity
World
Global / Nation- TradeMild: Protected43%57%GlobalProtected
- Foreign policyModerate: Strength30%70%CooperationStrength
Not compared: Technology (no clear record for George Washington), Culture (no clear record for George Washington). These axes are greyed out above and left out of the match.
★ 12 Axes Political Test ★
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FAQ
George Washington vs Thomas Jefferson
What is the difference between George Washington and Thomas Jefferson?
They differ most on structure (George Washington: central (moderate); Thomas Jefferson: local (moderate)), religion (George Washington: religious (mild); Thomas Jefferson: secular (moderate)) and security (George Washington: order (mild); Thomas Jefferson: liberty (moderate)). On the economy their positions are close; on state and liberty George Washington sits further toward authority; on society George Washington sits further toward tradition; on the world stage George Washington sits further toward nation.
What do George Washington and Thomas Jefferson have in common?
They are closest on welfare, ownership and morality. Overall their profiles are a 76% match on the 10 axes where both have a clear record.
Who leans more toward free markets, George Washington or Thomas Jefferson?
Neither by much: on the economic axes they share, their positions are within a few points (George Washington: markets (mild); Thomas Jefferson: markets (moderate)).
Am I closer to George Washington or Thomas Jefferson?
Take the 12 Axes Political Test. Your result shows your match with both of them, and with every other historical figure and ideology on the site, axis by axis.