James Madison: Federalist 51 (1788)
Context
The Revolutionary War had forced the colonists to unite and view themselves as Americans. Having directly experienced their oppression as colonial subjects at the local level, the newly sovereign people saw themselves as citizens of the states where they lived. Having thrown off the yoke of imperial power, they were suspicious of centralized power, especially when it existed beyond their reach. How the separate states of the infant country would work together as a single national entity was perhaps the most vexing question before a newly sovereign people.
In May 1776, at the direction of Congress, the states drafted constitutions based on “natural rights” philosophy. With its assertion of the right of rebellion and of government based upon “the consent of the governed,” the Declaration of Independence exemplified this theory. Given their experience with appointed colonial governors, the state constitutions had strong legislatures and weak executives. Typically, the...
