Hamilton replied that the British system was already the best possible form of government. Jefferson tells a story of a conversation he had with John Adams and Hamilton early in Washington’s tenure: Adams offered his opinion that the British system of constitutional monarchy, without the corruption, would be the best system of government in the world. Thomas Jefferson, the secretary of state, emerged as Hamilton’s main opponent. Again, though Madison was at this time a supporter of the new Constitution, the different tone in authorship foreshadowed later, and bitter, disagreements over the nature of national versus state power.Īs secretary of the treasury during the administration of George Washington, Hamilton furthered his call for a stronger national government. The Federalist Papers that were written by Madison were much more precise regarding specifics in the Constitution. But he was quite firm on the necessity of a strong national government in areas of finance, national security, and domestic disorder.
While arguing for the necessity of the union and stronger national government, Hamilton did attempt to assuage the fears of many citizens of the states that the proposed new national government would destroy state sovereignty and subordinate the legitimate interests of the states to the national government. A stronger and more centralized system was necessary.
The Articles of Confederation were far too weak to serve the nation, he argued. 17 was written by Hamilton, and in it he argued that under the new Constitution, the federal government will be able to act directly upon the citizens of the states to regulate the common concerns of the nation, which, he believed, was absolutely essential to the preservation of the union. This disagreement was evident even in their early defense of the new Constitution. Hamilton’s nationalism was evident in two key areas: his authorship of most of The Federalist Papers and his later plans for the fiscal and monetary policy of the early United States.Īlthough they were allies in drafting The Federalist Papers, Hamilton and James Madison would later become political opponents over the nature of national power. As one of the authors of The Federalist Papers, Hamilton talked frequently about the cause of the union. Alexander Hamilton was a committed nationalist who was fearful of the promise of states’ rights.
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