United States History Student Edition

C Government and Human Nature

Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, the Federalist Papers was a series of 85 essays that encouraged public support for the Constitution. The three men all wrote under the pen name of Publius, so it is not always clear which Framer wrote which essay. The Federalist Papers were intended to persuade the state of New York to accept a strong central government. However, they accomplished much more than that. They have influenced the American approach to governing and politics for centuries.

PRIMARY SOURCE: PAMPHLET “ But what is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controuls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: You must first enable the government to controul the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to controul itself. A dependence on the people is no doubt the primary controul on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions. ” — From The Federalist , No. 51, by James Madison or Alexander Hamilton, February 8, 1788 controuls controls auxiliary additional or supplementary EXAMINE THE SOURCE 1. Explaining Explain the first three sentences of the excerpt in your own words. What does the writer believe about human nature and government? 2. Analyzing Points of View Why does the writer believe that creating an effective government is difficult?

ALEXANDER HAMILTON

PHOTO: mashuk/Getty Images; TEXT: “The Federalist No. 51, [6 February 1788],” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-04-02-0199. [Original source: The Papers of Alexander Hamilton, vol. 4, January 1787–May 1788, ed. Harold C. Syrett. New York: Columbia University Press, 1962, pp. 497–502.]

197 First Governments and the Constitution