This describes our country today but was written in 1787.
“…Unstable and unjust government agencies and departments kill popular governments. Opponents of the Constitution use this excuse in their most specious arguments,
“…Our most virtuous citizens, men devoted to personal liberty, complain that our governments are too unstable. They say rival parties disregard the public good. An overbearing majority too often make decisions that should be based on justice and the rights of the minority party.
“We may wish that these complaints had no foundation, but the evidence shows that they are in some degree true.
“The government has been erroneously blamed for some of our problems. However, other causes, alone, don't account for our worst misfortunes. All across the continent, people worry about the nation's debt and they fear loss of their personal rights. This is largely the effect of distrusting the unjust, factious spirit that is part of our government administration.”
Federalist Paper #10 [paragraph 1]*
My goal when writing about The Federalist Papers is to encourage people to read them.
The Federalist Papers: Not a history text.
When I was a child, my parents gave me a copy of Little Women (1868). I read it at least 5 times.
Other favorite books when I was growing up included Jane Eyre (1847) and A Tale of Two Cities (1859). These books weren’t even set in the United States. But I loved them!
Another favorite book was The Spy (1821).
I enjoyed these books so much that I sometimes rummaged around my relative’s attics looking for old novels. I remember finding Nancy Drew novels from the 1930s in one attic. I felt like I’d found a pot of gold.
[I have to mention the Ellery Queen Jr. mysteries (1941-1966). I read them all. I mention them because I’ve never met anyone else who read them.]
None of these were history texts. The were riveting stories about people, problems, conflict, and, often, solutions. I knew nothing about “psychology” when I read them. Now I understand that I enjoyed the stories because the authors created characters that I could relate to. And, although the term “psychology” has been around since about 1600, I doubt that few of these novelists knew the term.
The Federalist Papers: A psychology text
I was in my late 20s when I started studying psychology. Then I started working for the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Iowa in my early 30s. It was the perfect fit for me at that time (thank you, God). I’d just gotten out of 7-year relationship with a psychopath and I was suffering from severe depression. (Although I didn’t know either of these things when I started my job.)
After a wonderful psychiatrist explained why my life was so difficult, I began seriously studying both antisocial personality disorder and depression, which led to deeper studies in psychology. The U of I Department of Psychiatry is a great place to work when studying psychology.
I picked up The Federalist Papers when I was 46. My goal was to understand the U.S. Constitution. I was surprised by how the Papers explain the Constitution. They explain human behavior, particularly negative human behavior (like how tyrants take over a community), and how the Constitution was designed to block negative behavior and encourage positive behavior.
Federalist Paper #1, paragraph 1
Of course, when I started reading the Papers, I had no idea what I would find. The first paragraph inspired me to continue reading:
You are asked to study and consider adopting a new Constitution for the United States of America to replace the current, ineffective federal government. This is a very important decision. Our country's existence depends on it. So does the safety and welfare of its people, communities, and States. We will decide the fate of a nation that is, in many respects, the most interesting in the world.
The people of this country will decide important questions: Can societies establish a good government by careful thought and choice? Or are people destined to be governed only by accident and force? The answers depend on our response to the current crisis. And the wrong decision will be unfortunate for all of mankind.*
I read this in December 1994. It felt like the author was talking about the turmoil that the country was feeling in the 1990s. And it still feels like the author is talking about today.
Federalist Paper #1, paragraph 5
Angry and malignant passions will be let loose about this subject, as in all former cases of great national debate. To get supporters, the opponents of the new Constitution will loudly and bitterly condemn it.
People supporting the energetic government proposed by the Constitution will be demonized as liking dictators and hating liberty. When supporters declare that the rights of the people must be very carefully protected, it will be called insincere and an obvious attempt to become popular while hurting the general public.
Dangers to the rights of people usually spring from the head rather than the heart. Enthusiasm for liberty is often infected with narrow-minded bigotry and distrust.
A healthy government is essential to secure liberty. A strong government and liberty can never be separated. Dangerous ambition is more often masked by a zeal for the rights of the people than the zeal for a firm and efficient government. History teaches us that most men who have overturned the liberties of republics began their career by proclaiming their devotion to the people. They gain position by arousing people's prejudices and end as tyrants.*
This paragraph confirmed that I wanted to devote my time to studying The Federalist Papers. When I first read: “History teaches us that most men who have overturned the liberties of republics began their career by proclaiming their devotion to the people. They gain position by arousing people's prejudices and end as tyrants,” I thought, so that’s how Hitler gained power.
Then I thought of all the strange promises that current politicians make as they “proclaim their devotion to the people.” Rather than promising to promote equity or stop climate change, why don’t politicians promise to strictly enforce the U.S. Constitution?
And why do politicians spend all their time and our money on ideas and projects that are not only unconstitutional, but most people don’t even support? Yet they can’t fulfill their most basic duty: safety.
It is the duty of We, the People, to enforce the Constitution. It’s much easier with the help of The Federalist Papers.
*The Federalist Papers: Modern English Edition Two, Webster, 2008.