Federalist No. 9: America: We Love Our Cake! - TPF 09

The Paperless Federalists

Don’t forget everyone; Hamilton knows about Greece and Rome. Hamilton begins his arguments in Federalist Paper No. 9 with another reference to Greek and Roman democracies to establish his historical “street-cred”. He then points to how the science of politics has evolved, and how the Anti-Federalists have mischaracterized the arguments of Montesquieu. The guys discuss Montesquieu, and how his ideas provided a foundation for the Constitution. Justin points out Hamilton seems to suggest that while democratic theories at the time provided the Federalists with a foundation for the Constitution, in time the Constitution may provide future peoples with a similar starting point. Hamilton argues that the Constitution allows the people to benefit from the advantages of a large federal system, but ensures we will avoid the trappings predicted by Montesquieu. Cary asks, “Can we have our cake and eat it too?”