Federalist No. 6 - “a tolerable knowledge of human nature”
by Alexander Hamilton
Concerning Dangers from War between the States
Hey, guess what! After four straight installments of the Federalist by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton is back and he would like you to know:
And great news - he isn’t! Although, there really is a difference in writing style between Jay and Hamilton, and it’s evident here. To our (well, my) modern sensibilities, Hamilton is perhaps just a bit harder to read. Long, flourishing sentences. Lots of references to the classics. He’s definitely pushing my South Florida public school education to its limits.
In Federalist No. 6, Hamilton shifts from dangers to the states from foreign powers to dangers to the states from each other (should they choose disunion):
The causes of hostility among nations are innumerable. There are some which have a general and almost constant operation upon the collective bodies of society. Of this description are the love of power or the desire of pre-eminence and dominion--the jealousy of power, or the desire of equality and safety. There are others which have a more circumscribed though an equally operative influence within their spheres. Such are the rivalships and competitions of commerce between commercial nations. And there are others, not less numerous than either of the former, which take their origin entirely in private passions; in the attachments, enmities, interests, hopes, and fears of leading individuals in the communities of which they are members. Men of this class, whether the favorites of a king or of a people, have in too many instances abused the confidence they possessed; and assuming the pretext of some public motive, have not scrupled to sacrifice the national tranquillity to personal advantage or personal gratification.
It’s not the substance of his argument that strikes me as much as how Hamilton makes it, and how he assumes his average reader will understand the many examples Hamilton uses to prove his thesis. Pericles, and his animosity toward the Samnians and the Magarensians. Thomas Wolsey, Lord Chancellor of England, and his endless ambition. Madame de Maintenon, the Duchess of Marlborough, and Madame de Pompadoure, French noblewomen whose personal drama destabilized all of western Europe in the early 18th century and whose stories “are topics that have been too often descanted upon not to be generally known.” (But as I tell my wife about every current musician, influencer, or actor: “I’ve never heard of them. So they can’t be that popular.” Checkmate, Alex.)
Hamilton concludes his argument with examples from Sparta, Athens, Rome, Carthage, Holland, Britain, and Spain. He notes of these stories that:
Those who have but a superficial acquaintance with the sources from which they are to be drawn, will themselves recollect a variety of instances; and those who have a tolerable knowledge of human nature will not stand in need of such lights to form their opinion either of the reality or extent of that agency.
The breadth of Hamilton’s argument is truly amazing, and it made me wonder how much “superficial acquaintance” or “tolerable knowledge” I have of our government and the history vital to my obligations as a citizen. And what about my three sons? After all, we have access to more information than any of our ancestors could dream of. I have more computing power in my pocket than existed in the entire world a century ago. We are bombarded with 24-hour news cycles about the machinations of government and our representatives. That should make us extraordinarily well-informed citizens, right?
Yeesh. About that. According to the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s most recent annual civics survey:
Less than half of U.S. adults (47%) could name all three branches of government, down from 56% in 2021 and the first decline on this question since 2016.
The number of respondents who could, unprompted, name each of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment also declined, sharply in some cases. For example, less than 1 in 4 people (24%) could name freedom of religion, down from 56% in 2021.
Asked who has final responsibility for determining whether an act by the president is constitutional if the president and the Supreme Court disagree – the president, Congress, or the court – less than half of Americans (46%) correctly said the Supreme Court, statistically unchanged from 2020 and 2021 (51%) but down significantly from 2019 (61%).
Can I challenge you, dear citizen—yes, you individually—to take seriously your obligation to your nation to be well-informed with at least a “tolerable knowledge” of the history and workings of our government? (Wait, obligation? Yes, obligation!) I know that as Americans we love to talk about rights and freedoms—and Lord knows those are important—but we would be foolish to overlook our many obligations to our country and fellow citizens. Consider this passage from Sebastian Junger’s Freedom:
For most of human history, freedom had to be at least suffered for, if not died for, and that raised its value to something almost sacred. In modern democracies however, an ethos of public sacrifice is rarely needed because freedom and survival are more or less guaranteed. That is a great blessing, but allows people believe that any sacrifice at all—rationing water during a drought for example—are forms of govt tyranny. They are no more forms of tyranny than rationing water on a lifeboat. The idea that we can enjoy the benefits of society while owing nothing in return is literally infantile. Only children owe nothing.
I’m not asking you to go fight off barbarian hordes or kill a meal for your family today, but I am going to ask you to answer Alexander Hamilton’s call to gain some “tolerable knowledge.” Easy, right?
Here are some great books you might buy or check out from the library later today:
And I know I’m no Doris Kearns Goodwin, but there’s plenty of history and civics packed in to this bad boy as well:
Not a reader? That’s okay! I once had a goal (not yet fully extinguished) to read a biography of every U.S. president. I haven’t quite made it through all of them—not even close—but I did find this great podcast by the Washington Post that has an episode on every single president. Or you could watch John Adams or Lincoln or Selma. Or binge West Wing. You could visit your state capitol or a local museum. And if it you’re in a season of life where even that seems a bit too much, just let yourself be inspired by this gallery of people becoming citizens: immigrants, refugees, and active duty servicemembers.
The important thing is that you do something—anything—to take that first step today. As Alexander Hamilton demonstrated in Federalist No. 6, a working knowledge of our nation’s history and government is essential to face the challenges of our time.
And we sure do have plenty of challenges.
Good luck!