Previous
Federalist No. 14
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Federalist Papers, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Importance of the Constitution
The Necessity of a Strong Union
Leadership and Representation
Checks and Balances
Federal Power vs. States Rights
Summary
Analysis
Alexander Hamilton warns that the United States is on the brink of disaster under the weak Articles of Confederation. He argues that the country is falling apart because the national government lacks the power to enforce laws, collect taxes, and ensure stability. Hamilton highlights the dangers of a government that only asks states to cooperate rather than compelling them to act. Since the national government cannot enforce its own laws, states ignore their obligations, leading to chaos and financial ruin. He points out that the country’s economy is suffering, its reputation abroad is declining, and internal divisions threaten national security. He strongly criticizes the idea that the states can function as a loose alliance while still maintaining order. Instead, he argues that a strong, centralized government is necessary to protect citizens’ rights, maintain law and order, and prevent the U.S. from collapsing like other failed confederacies in history.
Hamilton draws on the failures of the Articles of Confederation in order to frame the American government as structurally incapable of maintaining order or stability. By emphasizing the inability of the national government to enforce laws or collect taxes, he taps into widespread frustration over economic decline and political fragmentation that plague the post-Revolutionary era. His broader concern centers on the fragility of national identity and cohesion when states act as independent entities rather than parts of a unified whole. In pushing for a strong central government, Hamilton frames his argument as a defense against historical patterns of collapse, positioning the Constitution as the only safeguard against the chaos that inevitably follows weak, decentralized power.
Themes
