American Development

The view on the country’s liberty and union has been the point of contention for federalist and anti federalist parties who seek to establish their ideal form of government based on arguments that address the different issues involved and the flaws created by the opposition. During the late 1700’s, both Federalist and anti Federalist papers were published to influence the formation and the people’s sentiment on the interpretation of the government’s power, responsibility and limitation based on the newly formed constitution.

Different papers and literary propaganda were published by both Federalist and anti Federalist authors under different pseudonyms. The most notable federalist authors are James Madison, Patrick Henry, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay who wrote the different articles contained in a collection of 85 Federalist papers. The Federalist papers were made to serve as a source to help the people understand the constitution and its implications on the government. Basically, it advocated the establishment of a federal government over the previous leadership based on the articles of confederation.

The Federalist were able to confirm and establish the significance and viability of a central government as opposed to the limitations brought about by the separate sovereignty, power and authority of local leadership established within each state (Bailyn 23). The Federal government envisioned by the Federalist Party is considered to be the balancing tool in assigning and redistributing the government powers so as to prevent abuse and misplaced authority by any person in position.
As opposed to the articles of confederation which seeks to establish the individual sovereignty and power of each state, the federalist argued that an individual state free from any sanctions and limitations by a central power could possibility overpower a neighboring state without any preemptive legal ramifications. This could be prevented by putting all of the states under one leadership which is subjected to the constitution and implements its decisions with consideration to the implications it has to all the human rights, state and government laws, equality and fairness could be preserved.
The government envisioned by the Federalist is to serve for the people and by the people. The concept of liberty and union by the federalist can be summarized through the concept of equal distribution of power within the government. The newly written constitution is interpreted in such a way that the greatest benefit of the governed people could be portrayed as the purpose of the law. The Federalist 1 written by Hamilton is the first among the Federalist papers.
The main purpose of this portion is to dispose of the articles of confederation which is depicted as insufficient and lacking of all the positive attributes to render the government effective in uniting the country. The federalist established that the key to the prosperity and development of the country is the creation of a union between the states. Conformity within the whole country will help the people achieve growth in a linear direction that will preserve a lasting relationship among all the citizens from different parts of the country.
Liberty from discrimination, poverty and conflicts could be achieved through a truthful union (Bailyn 43). Another issue addressed in the federalist papers is the existence of a faction which is considered a threat to the union and peace in the country. Specifically addressed in the federalist 10, factions could be in the form of a group of people or community which has a special interest contrasting to the general good of the population.
Considering the fact that a divide country could easily succumb to war and poverty, people should safeguard the implementation of the constitution as a part of their community and state. The establishment of the concept contained in the federalist paper has helped people define and address the present problems they are encountering under the articles of confederation. Prior to the establishment of the United States constitution, the individualism among the different states serve as the trend in which the people conducted their economic and political policies.
This led to disunity and disparity of purpose which most of the time resulted in conflicts and anarchy. The Federalist Party has seen the need to establish a unified consciousness among the localities founding the different states to avoid misunderstanding and selfish objectives which only disrupt the national process of development. The government under the new constitution is not exempt from the laws which are implemented throughout the country. One of the most important aspects of union and liberty is the equal distribution of power within the government.
This could be achieved by distributing equal power to the different branches of the government in which they have the capacity to refute and cancel out any form of excessiveness that could occur from any of the branches. The constitution is the only limiting factor that sets the borders of what the authorities and officials can do. Contrary to what the anti Federalist Party was claiming, the president is not a king since the judiciary branch could pursue a case of violation against any leader who has violated the law.
The function of equality within the government and country is made possible through the processes found within the law and constitution. Among the most famous and influential anti federalists people during the late 1700’s included George Clinton and William West. The anti federalist party was immediately established as soon as the new constitution was published. Conflicts between the viability of the new constitution and the government and its bearing on the liberty of the people have been expressed by the anti federalist as the main issue to be tackled.
The individualism created by the previously instituted articles of the confederation has established an isolated and localized form of governance within the states that has resulted in disarray and chaos which led some of the politicians to believe that a central government which has the power to govern the whole country would be much more complicated and impossible to achieve. The Federalist Party was composed of varying groups with different beliefs regarding the violation and existence of the constitution.
The Borden collection has all the 85 articles regarding the anti federalist movement and how it establishes all the facts and information which seemed to validate the claims of the people involved. Among the claims found in the Borden collection was published and written by George Clinton who was known as “Cato” during that time. He claims that the central government which was established along with the new constitution could easily violate the individual sovereignty enjoyed by the different states in the country.
He believed that the personal freedom of the people could easily be manipulated by the president which he considers as the king of the government. The federalist quickly refuted his claim, since the President elect is subjected to the same laws and restrictions which are set in place for the common person. George Clinton also claimed that the viability and survival of a single government for the whole country as an effective governing body seemed to be impossible and would only waste the resources of the nation (Borden 31).
Patrick Henry, a famous and well known revolutionary, was one of the firmest anti federalist during that time. He argues that individualism of the states is violated through the implementation of a linear constitution. He claims that the government could possibly undermine the economic viability of a state since it has no way of monitoring the condition the local conditions present in the area. It is better to have a local government since it could easily implement the ideal laws that suites the state’s condition. Development could be achieved through micromanaging since it is practical and convenient (Borden 12).
By analyzing the collective thoughts of the members of the anti federalist movement, individualism is the key issue which they argue is lost through an absolute central government. Some argue that an ideal government would target the economic viability of the whole country by using the resources of the south and the north to its advantages. Since there is only one government, objectivity to the success, growth and improvement of a state is lost. The Principles of the Declaration of independence is highly critical to the success of the government and the new constitution established.
The federal government has taken into account the existence of equality among men and the sacredness of freedom in considering the dignity of a person. That is why the federal government set in place allows the authority and power to be distributed equally and without bias to its branches to avoid excessiveness and abuse due to misplacement of power and privileges. The main concept of union and equality is perpetrated through the unified linear growth projected from a single federal government for the whole country.
The transition from a divided country based on the articles of confederation allowed the American people to view the future of a country from a single unified perspective. The existence of each state is complementary to each other allowing liberty to be preserved. The Declaration of Independence guided the federalist movement in maintaining objectivity in establish a stable and fair government through out the United States of America. Basically, the individualistic claims by the anti Federalist Party has been refuted since the unity and liberty of the country could be preserved through the establishment of equal power through the country.
The government itself is subjected to the same laws which govern the different states. The federal government confirms the existence of an absolute constitution which establishes that no man is above the law. References Bailyn, Bernard, The Debate on the Constitution: Federalist and Antifederalist Speeches, Articles, and Letters During the Struggle over Ratification Library of America, 1993. Borden, Morton, The Antifederalist Papers, Michigan State University Press, 1965.