Final answer:
Alexander Hamilton was a key advocate for establishing a National Bank and a supporter of a strong central government, which was opposed by figures like James Madison who favored a strict constructionist view of the Constitution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The individual who was a strong proponent of and key figure in convincing the country to establish a National Bank and favored a pro-central government stance was Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, as the first Secretary of the Treasury, presented his 'Report on a National Bank' in December 1790. He proposed the Bank of the United States, which was modeled on the Bank of England. The Federalists, like Hamilton, supported broad construction when it came to interpreting the Constitution. They believed that a strong central government and entities like a national bank were necessary for economic stability and to discipline state banks that issued paper money irresponsibly.
Opposition to Hamilton's ideas came from figures like James Madison, who harbored suspicion over the concentration of power in a national bank and favored a strict constructionist approach to Constitutional interpretation. This debate over the bank's establishment illustrates the early tensions in America's political landscape about the balance of power between state and federal governments and the differing visions for the nation's economic future.