.jpg) John Jay, author ofFederalist No. 5 | |
| Author | John Jay |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Same Subject Continued: Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Federalist |
| Publisher | The Independent Journal |
Publication date | November 10, 1787 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Newspaper |
| Preceded by | Federalist No. 4 |
| Followed by | Federalist No. 6 |
| Text | Federalist No. 5 atWikisource |
Federalist No. 5, titled "The Same Subject Continued: Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence", is a political essay byJohn Jay, the fifth ofThe Federalist Papers. It was first published inThe Independent Journal on November 10, 1787, under thepseudonym Publius, the name under which allThe Federalist Papers were published. It is the last of four essays by Jay advocatingpolitical union as a means of protection from foreign nations.
Federalist No. 5 addresses the idea of states forming regionalconfederacies and how it would affect foreign relations. Jay argued that these confederacies would be cautious or envious regarding one another while maintaining stronger relations with foreign nations. He theorized that theNorthern United States would grow stronger than theSouthern United States, causing conflict between the regions. He contrasted this scenario with political union, arguing that union would prevent conflict by combining the states' strength and aligning their national interests. Jay's ideas inFederalist No. 5 were reflected at several points in American history, including theAmerican Civil War that saw the Northern and Southern United States in direct military conflict.
Jay opens his argument by quotingQueen Anne's letter to theParliament of Scotland in favor ofBritish unification. He compares the kingdoms of Great Britain to hypotheticalconfederacies ofAmerican states, arguing that such confederacies would come into conflict with one another. He suggests that one region would become stronger than the others—considering theNorthern United States to be the most likely—and that other regions would respond with envy and seek to hinder its growth.
Jay contends that conflict between American confederacies would prevent them from rivaling other nations, and he argues thatdefense pacts between the confederacies would be unlikely. He compares this scenario to the kingdoms of Great Britain and the kingdoms of Spain prior to unification, in which they operated as independent nations with separate national interests. He then argues that these separate interests would lead to differentforeign policies and to alliances with different European nations. Finally, he warns that such alliances would allow foreign nations to gain influence, likening it to conquests of theRoman Empire carried out through pretended alliances.
Federalist No. 5 was written byJohn Jay. Following theConstitutional Convention in 1787, Hamilton worked withJames Madison andAlexander Hamilton to write a series of essays to explain the provisions of theConstitution of the United States and persuade New York to ratify it. They published these essays in New York newspapers under the sharedpseudonym Publius.[1] It was first published inThe Independent Journal on November 10, 1787, followed byThe Daily Advertiser on November 12 andThe New-York Packet on November 13.[2]Federalist No. 5 was the last of four essays by Jay supportingpolitical union to protect the United States from other nations.[3] It continued directly from the ideas ofFederalist No. 4, arguing that the states would be unable maintain their own security without political union.[4][5]
InFederalist No. 5, Jay warned against the formation of regional confederacies instead of a national union. He argued that under such a system, the states would work against one another and fall under the influence of foreign countries.[6][7] Jay insisted that union was necessary because a national government would be stronger than any individual confederacy, as all states would cooperate toward the same interests, and the national government would have access to greater resources and military strength than any confederacy would individually.[6]
American politics of the time were defined bysectionalism, particularly between theNorthern andSouthern regions of the United States. The two regions held different interests, as the North maintained amercantilist economy while the South was anagrarian society. Jay considered this distinction a likely cause for conflict between the states, supposing that their economic interests would put them in opposition to one another.[8] He also believed that these separate interests would incentivize the confederacies to seek different European allies, further putting them in conflict with one another.[7][9] Jay contended that once this foreign influence was established, it would be difficult to reverse.[10] Jay's arguments inFederalist No. 5 contrast with those he made inFederalist No. 2, in which he proposed that the American people are naturally unified under common interests and ideals.[7][11]Federalist No. 5 maintained that these factors alone were not sufficient, and that the preservation of an American nationality was contingent on a central government to maintain union between the states.[7]
Federalist No. 5 was one of several instances in which envy and jealousy are described as threats to the American people inThe Federalist Papers. Political theoristJon Elster describedFederalist No. 5 as having the "most striking" example of this phenomenon.[12] Jay speculated that one of the confederacies would likely become more powerful over time, further increasing diplomatic tension between them and provoking action to hinder one another.[6] In Jay's view, this likelihood preempted any hope that regional confederacies would work as allies for an extended time.[9] He feared that confederacies bordering one another would grow distrustful and exist in constant fear of war.[6]
Like many ofThe Federalist Papers,Federalist No. 5 described historical events that relate to its arguments. Jay likened confederacies between the states to the division of England, Scotland, and Wales in Great Britain and to the Iberian kingdoms that combined to form Spain. To make this comparison, he quoted a letter written by Queen Anne in support of British unification that closely resembled the style and argumentation ofThe Federalist Papers.[13] Jay believed that the unification of Britain was closely analogous to a potential union of the United States. In both cases, he saw it logical that countries with similar interests and geographic qualities should be combined under a single nation.[7] Likewise, he believed that a system of confederacies would be reminiscent of the conflict-ridden nature of the British kingdoms prior to unification.[14] Jay also likened confederacies between the states to smaller nations that aligned with the Roman Empire in ancient times, noting that Rome's desire for expansion caused it to routinely conquer what were once its allies. This was part of a broader distaste by the framers of imperial government in which they feared that it would undermine republicanism, as it did in ancient Rome.[15]
Jay did not write another essay forThe Federalist Papers untilFederalist No. 64, which was his final entry in the series.[16] The argument that American unity requires a national government was revisited inFederalistNo. 11 andNo. 22.[17] Jay's fear of border disputes was realized when the United States came into conflict withUpper Canada during theWar of 1812 and with Mexico during theMexican–American War.[18] The sectionalism described by Jay between the Northern and Southern United States was a predominant factor in American politics over the following generations.[19] It nearly caused military conflict during thenullification crisis, when South Carolina threatened tonullify the 1828Tariff of Abominations, which it saw as serving Northern interests. Hostility between the North and South eventually culminated in theAmerican Civil War in 1861.[18] By the 21st century,economic globalization andmodern warfare have altered the circumstances under which Jay and Queen Anne advocated unification for economic and military protection.[20]