Arguments For and Against a Large and Powerful Federal Government
The ratification of the Constitution in 1789 was the first significant event in the growth of the federal government. When the Articles of Federation governed the United States, republicans repealed it due to its deficiencies. They advocated the construction of a constitution that would explicitly delegate certain powers to a federal government and then reserve the rest to the state governments and the citizens. The federal government aimed to defend the liberty of its citizens by protecting their rights. The Constitution lessened the federal government’s accountability, enabled them to acquire more power and latitude to define its own scope of action. Issues regarding the supremacy of the federal government and regarding the most significant event that took place during the growth of the federal government was the Civil War, which accorded the federal government new powers. Through it, the federal government was able to ground its supremacy over the state government. As the Progressive Era got closer, a government whose initial function was to protect the citizens’ freedom also began to consider their economic welfare. This growth further led to the growth of interest groups such as veterans whose pensions kept on increasing due to the Republican’s interest in their support.
The Federalists included George Washington, John Adams, and Alexander Hamilton, who supported a strong central government, and they were opposed by the Anti-Federalists, such as Thomas Jefferson, who vouched for governance through states. The Federalists strongly believed a central government could be the solution to the financial problems of the new country. They argued that too much democracy would be a threat to the republic. Their argument was very substantial as the Federal government had a debt of more than $53 million, while the states had a total debt of $25 million in 1789. Through the Federal government, Hamilton proposed the establishment of a national bank that would stabilize the economy of America, the raising of revenue to pay off the debt, and the introduction of public credit.
The Democratic-Republicans believed that the design of the policies of the central government only enriched a few people and ignored the majority of the citizens. Their skepticism about a central government with a lot of power was based on the 1760-1770 experience when the corrupt British Parliament tried to enforce its will on the colonies. Their doubt was further ignited by the fact that fifty-five wealthy men, in secret, had developed the Constitution. However, their evidence is not substantial as a government can threaten liberty with either too much or too little power. They opposed the expansion of the role of the new national government proposed by Hamilton, citing that it was not allowed by the Constitution. Their main aim was to maintain Republicanism, where the good of the public surpassed private self-interests. Despite the fact that the great divide based on what the right size and scope of the new national government should be, there was a consensus about who was and who was not a citizen. The two parties wanted the United Stated to be a republic of solely white men.
The readings have enabled me to realize that the formation of the United States, as we involved many changes to policies in the Constitution, with opposition and support from different states. Both the Federalists and Republicans had the vision to move forward in the development of America, with the Democrats more concerned about the loss of liberty by the citizens. Their enigma on how to reconcile the freedom of the citizens with the power of the government is as timely now as it was back then. The issues of public debt are also relevant as public debt continues to grow annually. However, with the regulations of the National Bank, our economy has been mostly stable; hence, I am more inclined to the view of the Federalists. In solving a current national or global issue, I would consider how the implementation of the different policies was undertaken and how effective they were, then adjusted the implementation process to suit the current situation.