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Federalist No. 21
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 outlines the critical weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, arguing that they make the United States weak, disorganized, and vulnerable. He highlights the lack of federal control over commerce, which allows states to impose conflicting trade policies, harming economic growth and weakening the nation’s ability to negotiate with foreign powers. He also criticizes the government’s inability to enforce laws, making national policies ineffective since they rely on voluntary state compliance. Another major flaw is the unfair representation system in Congress, where each state has one vote regardless of population, allowing smaller states to exert disproportionate influence. Additionally, Hamilton condemns the requirement for unanimous consent to amend the Articles, which makes it nearly impossible to fix problems or pass necessary reforms. Finally, he warns that the government’s lack of power to raise a national army or coordinate defense leaves the country exposed to both internal uprisings and foreign threats.
Hamilton’s critique of the Articles of Confederation focuses on the structural inefficiencies that prevent the United States from functioning as a cohesive political and economic entity. The lack of federal control over commerce was a pressing issue in the post-Revolutionary period, as states imposed their own trade regulations, leading to economic disputes and weakening the country’s bargaining power in foreign negotiations. Hamilton frames this as more than just an economic concern—without a unified trade policy, the United States cannot command respect or establish itself as a stable power. His concern over voluntary state compliance follows the same logic: a government that lacks enforcement power is not a government but a collection of competing interests, making national laws meaningless in practice.
Themes
