He was our first liberal (today’s usage) President. He favored a larger, more powerful government.
I think you could argue that Washington was the first. He and Adams were together on their support for a strong federal government. But it’s a little more complicated. You could make the argument that the federalists were in favor of “strong federal government,” but what they were really fighting against was the idea that the federal government should be abolished altogether. Jefferson and Madison leaned in that direction, until they became President.
Nonsense. John Adams and all the other Founders would be horrified at what has become of the country they founded. While Jefferson was fascinated by the horrible French Revolution, Adams and the other Federalists were not fooled. Adams and his allies built up the navy which the foolish Jeffersonians opposed, and Jefferson’s ally Madison eventually used it in the nation’s defense.
I beg to differ. Hamilton never saw a government institution he didn’t like. Hamilton WAS big government, far more than Adams was. Far more.