Federalist Item No. 4

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The Federalist article no. 4 is the third of John Jay , one of the founding fathers of the United States , written essay in a series of 85 essays 1787-88 in the newspapers "Independent Journal" , "New-York Packet" and " Daily Advertiser ” and published collectively under the name Federalist Papers .

Article No. 4 appeared on November 7, 1787 under the title "Continuation of the topic: About the dangers of foreign violence and influences" ( The Same Subject Continued: Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence ) in the Independent Journal under the pseudonym " Publius ".

Historical background

The 1777 adopted Confederation ( Articles of Confederation ) of the United States had proved a few years after its ratification in 1781 as insufficient to ensure an efficient government of the State Union. In 1787 the Philadelphia Convention was convened to revise the articles, but as a result drafted a new constitution . In September 1787 the draft was passed on to constitutional conventions in the individual states for ratification. From September 1787 the opponents of the federation ("anti-federalists") agitated in newspaper articles against the ratification of the draft constitution. On the Republican side, these were countered by the essays by Alexander Hamilton , James Madison and John Jay.

content

While in the previous Federalist Article No. 3 Jay had dealt with the need to protect the Federation from "legitimate" wars, he now focuses on the need to prevent aggression from foreign states:

“But the security of America's people from the threat of foreign powers depends not only on possible precautionary measures so as not to give other nations a reason for a just war, but also on those that put the country in a position that is neither hostile nor insults other draws upon himself . Needless to say, there are not only just reasons for war but also fake ones . "

In addition to personal motives of absolute monarchs, Jay names the competition with other states in the fields of fishing, sea transport and trade as well as direct trade with India and China, bypassing European intermediaries, as possible reasons for a war against the Union. The Viceroyalty of New Spain and British North America blocked important waterways for the Federation with the Mississippi Estuary and the Saint Lawrence River . A further strengthening of the federation states is not in the interests of these powers:

“It is for good reason that it therefore considers the Union and a good national system of government to be necessary in order to place it permanently in a situation that does not invite war , but rather discourages it. Such a situation requires the best possible state of defense, which inevitably depends on the government system, the weapons and the resources of the country. "

In a unified government, the talents and experience of the best minds from all countries could be gathered. You could run a uniform policy. When concluding treaties, she has the good of all in view as well as the individual interests of the states with regard to their entirety. In a unified, concerted system, the means and power of the whole would be available more quickly and more emphatically to defend the individual state. The military would be under a single command and would therefore be more powerful than individual units from thirteen different states or three to four confederations. Using the example of the British Navy, Jay explains the importance of a national government for the development of a powerful fleet.

In the event that thirteen independent states emerge, Jay asks whether they would really stand by each other reliably in the event of a conflict, or whether their own interests or a particularly pronounced peacefulness could induce individual states not to fulfill their duty of assistance. In such a case, it is also unclear which authority should command the allied army, conclude peace treaties, or play a mediator role.

Ultimately, regardless of how the political system is shaped, it is indisputable that foreign nations perceive the North American states as competitors. A uniformly governed state with "efficient, well-organized administration, wisely regulated trade, an organized, disciplined army, carefully managed resources and finances, restored creditworthiness, and free, satisfied and some citizens" would be far more likely to induce other states to become friendly search. Separate states would be much more likely to become the pawn of politics in Britain, Spain or France.

"How easily it would be abandoned not only to their contempt, but to their anger, and how quickly the dearly bought experience would prove to be true: When a people or a family split, they always harm themselves!"

literature

Angela and Willi Paul Adams: Hamilton / Madison / Jay: The Federalist Articles: Political Theory and Constitutional Commentary by the American Founding Fathers. With the English and German text of the US Constitution . Schöningh, Paderborn 2004, ISBN 978-3-8252-1788-4 , pp. 15-20 .

Web links

Federalist Article No. 4 as audio book (English)
Wikisource: Federalist Article No. 4  - Sources and Full Texts

Individual evidence

  1. Federalist Article No. 4 in the Library of Congress , accessed February 17, 2017
  2. Quoted from Adams & Adams (2004): The Federalist Articles, pp. 15-20. In the original: “But the safety of the people of America against dangers from FOREIGN force depends not only on their forbearing to give JUST causes of war to other nations, but also on their placing and continuing themselves in such a situation as not to INVITE hostility or insult; for it need not be observed that there are PRETENDED as well as just causes of war. "
  3. Quoted from Adams & Adams (2004): The Federalist Articles, pp. 15-20. In the original: “Wisely, therefore, do they consider union and a good national government as necessary to put and keep them in SUCH A SITUATION as, instead of INVITING war, will tend to repress and discourage it. That situation consists in the best possible state of defense, and necessarily depends on the government, the arms, and the resources of the country. "
  4. Quoted from Adams & Adams (2004): The Federalist Articles, pp. 15-20. In the original: "How liable would she become not only to their contempt but to their outrage, and how soon would dear-bought experience proclaim that when a people or family so divide, it never fails to be against themselves."