Project Federalism (Paper 1):
The Case for Our Constitutional Government Summarized With a Modern Perspective
Project Federalism will be a series where I produce short, under 1000 word, summaries of the Federalist Papers and analyze, from my perspective, how well the ideas of Federalism have been implemented, the merits of the ideas in the modern age, etc. as well as addressing modern arguments surrounding the Constitution as the Federalist founding fathers might have, based on their writings.
“General Introduction” by Alexander Hamilton
(Summarized by Tyler Piteo-Tarpy)
It is now up to the people of America to determine for all mankind if it is possible to design a “good government from reflection and choice,” or if we are simply destined to continue living under governments resulting from “accident and force.”
Because of the nature of this moment, it would behoove us to consider responsibly the public good, but, of course, we must recognize that bias’ and personal interests will appear in our deliberations.
Probably the largest obstacle to our designing the Constitution will be men who fear a loss of power resulting from our decisions and men who believe they will find it easier to gain power “from the subdivision of the empire into several partial confederacies than from its union under one government.”
It is also true though that good and wise men can be mistaken and on the wrong side of “questions of the first magnitude to society” without having ill intent; just as it is true that people may advocate for the right position but be motivated by ill intent. For that reason, “moderation” would be well considered by anyone overly sure of their opinions, and no one should try to change each other’s minds through “persecution.”
We must expect that, on such a vast and important subject, a “torrent of angry and malignant passions will be let loose.” Misrepresentations of arguments will occur; for example, it is likely that the argument for “energy and efficiency of government” will be misconstrued as anti-liberty, and extensive consideration of the rights of the people may be thought of as an attempt to gain popularity “at the expense of the public good.” In fact, a vigorous government is necessary to ensure liberty and the rights of the people and history has proven that populism more often leads to less liberty than Federalism.
I will openly acknowledge that I support this new Constitution and believe that it is, my fellow citizens, “the safest course for your liberty, your dignity, and your happiness.” However, I hope you will be defensive against anyone who seeks to influence your decision on the matter without strong arguments stemming from “the evidence of truth,” and so I will attempt to be as forthright and unambiguous as possible in presenting my own case.
In the following papers I will discuss the usefulness of the Union, the inability of the “current confederation to preserve that Union,” the necessity of an energetic government, how the Constitution adheres to the values of a Republican government, its similarities to the pre-existing state constitutions, and lastly the security of liberty and property that the Constitution will afford you. I will also be addressing counter-arguments along the way.
Contrary to popular belief, there are those who oppose the formation of a Union of the thirteen states; thus, I will begin by discussing its merits and the dangers of its termination.
What I see as the most important part of this paper is when Hamilton speaks of the necessity of using rational arguments to advocate for policy and to persuade people of one’s position, as opposed to appeals to emotion or evaluation of motives; “Tracing the arguments to their consequences,” is what should matter most in political discourse.
Unfortunately, what we see more and more of nowadays are straw man and ad hominem attacks being used to suppress people’s voices and ideas. We should look to the first Federalist Paper to remember that by not actually addressing the arguments we disagree with, we are “[disgracing] the cause of truth.”
Also, Hamilton’s initial recognition of the importance of the Constitution and the process of debating and refining it, not only for the United States but for all of mankind, is worth remembering and recognizing ourselves, even centuries later.
The idea of designing a government, through rational argumentation, for the purpose of protecting individual inalienable rights and liberties was revolutionary and it set the stage for democratisation throughout the rest of the world. It is one of the most important debates, documents, and periods in human history and has been a source of unfathomable good in the world.
While it is always right to continue to question and re-examine the policies by which we formed our government, it is also always right to recognize the massive importance of the Constitution and grant the ideas in it and the arguments for it, such as those in the Federalist papers, due process in “the cause of truth.”
