August 4, 2024
Dear Editor,
The discussion group Patriots for Liberty and Constitution is currently studying the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers.
The Federalist Papers is a series of 85 newspaper articles written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to explain and defend the Constitution during the ratification period. Regarding the Federalist Papers, Thomas Jefferson said that it was the “best source of information on the genuine meaning of the U.S. Constitution.”
Intended to explain and defend the Constitution, Hamilton, Madison, and Jay wrote the Federalist Papers in proper English. Still, the papers were published in newspapers and were simple enough for the average American to understand. I am frequently in awe knowing that the Federalist Papers were written for the common citizens in the 19th Century, who were mostly farmers. Today many college-educated Americans find it difficult to understand it. This fact leads me to believe that we, as a nation, have lost something important. We regressed. As such, we no longer know the divine principles that the United States of America was founded on.
The Anti-Federalist Papers is also a series of 85 articles published in newspapers, written by several authors. They used aliases and the authors of the Anti-Federalist Papers are not all known. The language and tone of these papers are more direct and less flowery. Instead, we encounter sentences like:
“Is this power fettered with any one of those restrictions, which will show they depend upon the militia, and not upon this infernal engine of oppression to execute their civil laws?” (Anti-Federalist 28, a paper arguing on standing armies)
Direct language with a forceful tone. But, comparing them side-by-side, I was immediately struck by how we, as a nation, argued – deeply, thoroughly, civilly. I am confident that today’s politicians and as a nation, we can learn much from them.
Furthermore, studying them side-by-side, we also come to know the truth. The Patriots for Liberty and Constitution is studying the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers. We are going slowly over them chronologically. As such, we get to see how the arguments on liberty evolve and unfold before our eyes.
The Federalists started by explaining how a new Constitution was necessary, as we were not adequately organized to resist a foreign invasion. The Anti-Federalists responded by saying that taxes need to be guarded, or else it will weaken our nation. The topics presented go back and forth. And the truth is known.
For the past few weeks, we have been studying the topic of national defense. The Federalists argues that national defense belongs to the “Central” government, as it has the broadest view and it is also adequately coordinate this effort. I agree! The Anti-Federalist cautions on how a standing army during peacetime can alter the psychology of a nation, diminishing of the ability to question and be the overseer of the nation. Wow, I didn’t think of this before!
Not only were we able to see how the arguments went back and forth, but we also could see how these issues evolved with history. Taxes, for example, the Federalists made a more convincing argument in their time. The Anti-Federalists were accurate in predicting the future.
Far from being anti-American, both sides are patriotic. They truly love America. (Sometimes, I wonder if that is true today with what’s happening in Washington). More importantly, by truly understanding the principles that made America, the solution to the problems today becomes clear.
The Patriots for Liberty and Constitution meets weekly at the Mountain Valley Baptist Church (202 S Seventh Ave, Pocatello). I am eternally thankful for them allowing me to use their facility, although our group is not part of the church. Admission is free, and we have stimulating discussions on the Constitution and current events. We are studying the Federalist and the Anti-Federalist Papers. You are invited.
