Summary
The Federalist Papers are a collection of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of the Constitution drafted in 1787, over a decade after the Declaration of Independence. With the benefit of hindsight, historical events and structures can often seem predetermined, obscuring the many decisions that had to be made along the way. The journey of the United States from independence to forming a federal government was not a straight path. The land won by the Revolutionary War consisted of 13 colonies, newly rebranded as “states.” Each state had adopted its own constitution shortly after rebelling against the British crown. These individual states were loosely united during the Revolutionary War under the Articles of Confederation, which defined a weak central government and functioned more like a treaty than a true organizing principle. This absence of centralized energy resulted in many inefficiencies during both war and peace. It may seem obvious now, but for the governors of these separate states, the idea of surrendering autonomy and assuming shared responsibility with neighboring states was far from intuitive. Thus, the framers faced an uphill battle in convincing all 13 states that it was in their best interest to form a federal government. This debate can be seen as an early manifestation of the enduring tension between “big government” and “small government.” Even though the federal government of that time was far more limited than it is today, it still represented a form of “big government” that had to contend with many of the same critiques leveled by libertarians today. The framers’ greatest inspiration was their nearly obsessive desire to construct a government that would, by its very design, prevent the rise of a dictator. “It has been frequently remarked, that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not, of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force.” – Alexander Hamilton One of the key principles was that it should be the structure of the government itself that prevents abuse of power, not merely the laws it creates. This is why so much of The Federalist Papers is devoted to discussing which responsibilities should fall to the legislative, judicial, or executive branches. It was also part of the rationale behind making the Constitution difficult to amend, as the framers hoped to limit the extent to which any bad actor could consolidate power.
Thoughts
In a biblical sense, one could liken the Constitution to the Gospels and The Federalist Papers to the letters of Paul. By addressing as many objections as possible, the authors of The Federalist Papers provide one of the most thorough explanations of the motivations behind what might otherwise seem like an opaque document. The U.S. Constitution is the longest-lived constitution in the world, yet it is also one of the shortest. Its brevity and resistance to change have fostered a document that invites many interpretations, and it is difficult to say categorically whether this is a good or bad thing. The Constitution is inherently polarizing. Some elevate it to the level of holy writ, while others eagerly seek contradictions within it to bolster their own sense of superiority. Both approaches are understandable. On the one hand, the United States is the world’s leading superpower, and in many respects, despite its youth, it has achieved many of the goals the framers set out to accomplish. On the other hand, certain assumptions and compromises—such as those concerning slavery and women’s suffrage—are now universally rejected. The framers anticipated such tensions, attempting to strike a balance between creating a document that commands the respect necessary to serve as the foundation for a society and ensuring it would not become unchangeable, akin to a hereditary monarchy. “Frequent appeals would, in great measure, deprive the government of that veneration which time bestows on everything, and without which perhaps the wisest and freest governments would not possess the requisite stability.” – James Madison In contemporary debates about constitutional issues such as the Electoral College or Supreme Court term limits, it is important to recognize both that the framers had valid reasons for their decisions and that material conditions have changed significantly. Life expectancy has doubled, and the population has increased eighty-threefold. It is easy to forget that, though rare, we have made substantial changes to the Constitution in recent history. These changes now feel so fundamental that it can be surprising to learn that they were not part of the original document or were actively opposed at the time. For example, the two-term limit for the presidency was not imposed until the 22nd Amendment was ratified in 1951. One final observation about The Federalist Papers is the cosmopolitan nature of their justifications. In modern discussions, the Founding Fathers are often portrayed in a mythic light, as if they collectively devised the best form of government ever conceived on their own. This narrative overlooks how much inspiration the framers drew from contemporary and historical governments. There are those who build their identity around the notion that “America does things differently,” and while this is true in some respects, it can be a limiting worldview. I believe the framers would have encouraged us to keep our eyes open to the world. Every government is an experiment in miniature, and we should be willing to learn not only from their mistakes but also from their successes.
People/Alexander Hamilton