Module 5

On a Strong National Government

Alexander Hamilton was a staunch defender of a strong national government. Hamilton believed that only through a strong national (centralized) government could the prosperity of the people exist.(1) Some would argue that perhaps the economically poor and minority populations would benefit the most under the rule of a strong centralized government. A strong national government would have great power and would have the ability to redistribute wealth and provide for equal representation of all citizens, theoretically ensuring prosperity for all. However, when we look throughout history and observe current events, we know this to not be the case. Only a power elite (“those political, economic, and military circles, which as an intricate set of overlapping small but dominate groups share decisions having at least national consequences. Insofar as national events are decided, the power elite are those who decide them.”)(2) prosper under a strong centralized government.

The power elite will use the power of a strong national government to ensure their power and security. This is easily achieved through both indoctrination and the buying of votes. The power elite will manipulate the poor and uneducated getting them to surrender their liberties in exchange for government provided services or through promises to redistribute wealth. Thus, the power elite ensure the subjugation of the poor and minorities by directly tying their prosperity to the security of the elite.

It is only through a confederate minarchsist style of government that a majority of the people will see prosperity. Smaller states can address the specific needs of its citizens faster and more efficiently than a strong national could. The smaller size of a confederacy ensures more minority representation and individual liberty through smaller districting. A greater number of people would prosper under a confederacy as opposed to only the few elite that prosper under a strong federal government.
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(1) The Works of Alexander Hamilton, ed. Henry Cabot Lodge ( New York: GP Putnam’s Sons, 1904)
(2) Mills, Charles W., The Power Elite (pg.18) 1956, print