1787 Federalist 5 · Founding Made Plain

11787 Federalist No. 5

2The Same Subject Continued:

3Concerning Dangers From Foreign Force and Influence

4For the Independent Journal.

5JAY

6To the People of the State of New York:

7QUEEN ANNE, in her letter of the 1st July, 1706,

8 to the Scotch Parliament,

9 makes some observations on the importance of the UNION

10 then forming between England and Scotland,

11 which merit our attention.

12I shall present the public

13 with one or two extracts from it:

14"An entire and perfect union

15 will be the solid foundation of lasting peace:

16It will secure your religion, liberty, and property;

17 remove the animosities amongst yourselves,

18 and the jealousies and differences

19 betwixt our two kingdoms.

20It must increase your strength, riches, and trade;

21 and by this union the whole island,

22 being joined in affection

23 and free from all apprehensions

24 of different interest,

25 will be ENABLED TO RESIST ALL ITS ENEMIES."

26"We most earnestly recommend to you

27 calmness and unanimity

28 in this great and weighty affair,

29 that the union may be brought to a happy conclusion,

30 being the only EFFECTUAL way

31 to secure our present and future happiness,

32 and disappoint the designs of our and your enemies,

33 who will doubtless, on this occasion,

34 USE THEIR UTMOST ENDEAVORS

35 TO PREVENT OR DELAY THIS UNION."

36It was remarked in the preceding paper,

37 that weakness and divisions at home

38 would invite dangers from abroad;

39 and that nothing would tend more to secure us from them

40 than union, strength, and good government

41 within ourselves.

42This subject is copious

43 and cannot easily be exhausted.

44The history of Great Britain

45 is the one with which we are in general

46 the best acquainted,

47 and it gives us many useful lessons.

48We may profit by their experience

49 without paying the price which it cost them.

50Although it seems obvious to common sense

51 that the people of such an island

52 should be but one nation,

53 yet we find that they were for ages divided into three,

54 and that those three were almost constantly embroiled

55 in quarrels and wars with one another.

56Notwithstanding their true interest

57 with respect to the continental nations

58 was really the same,

59 yet by the arts and policy and practices

60 of those nations,

61 their mutual jealousies were perpetually

62 kept inflamed,

63 and for a long series of years they were far more

64 inconvenient and troublesome

65 than they were useful and assisting to each other.

66Should the people of America divide themselves

67 into three or four nations,

68 would not the same thing happen?

69Would not similar jealousies arise,

70 and be in like manner cherished?

71Instead of their being "joined in affection"

72 and free from all apprehension

73 of different "interests,"

74 envy and jealousy would soon extinguish

75 confidence and affection,

76 and the partial interests of each confederacy,

77 instead of the general interests of all America,

78 would be the only objects

79 of their policy and pursuits.

80Hence, like most other BORDERING nations,

81 they would always be either involved

82 in disputes and war,

83 or live in the constant apprehension of them.

84The most sanguine advocates

85 for three or four confederacies

86 cannot reasonably suppose

87 that they would long remain exactly

88 on an equal footing in point of strength,

89 even if it was possible to form them so at first;

90 but, admitting that to be practicable,

91 yet what human contrivance can secure

92 the continuance of such equality?

93Independent of those local circumstances

94 which tend to beget and increase power in one part

95 and to impede its progress in another,

96 we must advert to the effects

97 of that superior policy and good management

98 which would probably distinguish

99 the government of one above the rest,

100 and by which their relative equality

101 in strength and consideration

102 would be destroyed.

103For it cannot be presumed

104 that the same degree of sound policy,

105 prudence, and foresight

106 would uniformly be observed

107 by each of these confederacies

108 for a long succession of years.

109Whenever, and from whatever causes, it might happen,

110 and happen it would,

111 that any one of these nations or confederacies

112 should rise on the scale of political importance

113 much above the degree of her neighbors,

114 that moment would those neighbors behold her

115 with envy and with fear.

116Both those passions would lead them

117 to countenance,

118 if not to promote,

119 whatever might promise to diminish her importance;

120 and would also restrain them from measures

121 calculated to advance or even to secure

122 her prosperity.

123Much time would not be necessary

124 to enable her to discern these unfriendly dispositions.

125She would soon begin,

126 not only to lose confidence in her neighbors,

127 but also to feel a disposition equally unfavorable

128 to them.

129Distrust naturally creates distrust,

130 and by nothing is good-will and kind conduct

131 more speedily changed

132 than by invidious jealousies

133 and uncandid imputations,

134 whether expressed or implied.

135The North is generally the region of strength,

136 and many local circumstances render it probable

137 that the most Northern

138 of the proposed confederacies

139 would, at a period not very distant,

140 be unquestionably more formidable

141 than any of the others.

142No sooner would this become evident

143 than the NORTHERN HIVE would excite

144 the same ideas and sensations

145 in the more southern parts of America

146 which it formerly did

147 in the southern parts of Europe.

148Nor does it appear to be a rash conjecture

149 that its young swarms might often be tempted

150 to gather honey

151 in the more blooming fields and milder air

152 of their luxurious and more delicate neighbors.

153They who well consider the history

154 of similar divisions and confederacies

155 will find abundant reason to apprehend

156 that those in contemplation

157 would in no other sense be neighbors

158 than as they would be borderers;

159 that they would neither love nor trust one another,

160 but on the contrary would be a prey

161 to discord, jealousy, and mutual injuries;

162 in short, that they would place us exactly

163 in the situations

164 in which some nations doubtless wish to see us,

165 viz., FORMIDABLE ONLY TO EACH OTHER.

166From these considerations it appears

167 that those gentlemen are greatly mistaken

168 who suppose that alliances offensive and defensive

169 might be formed between these confederacies,

170 and would produce that combination and union

171 of wills of arms and of resources,

172 which would be necessary

173 to put and keep them

174 in a formidable state of defense

175 against foreign enemies.

176When did the independent states,

177 into which Britain and Spain were formerly divided,

178 combine in such alliance,

179 or unite their forces against a foreign enemy?

180The proposed confederacies will be DISTINCT NATIONS.

181Each of them would have its commerce with foreigners

182 to regulate by distinct treaties;

183 and as their productions and commodities are different

184 and proper for different markets,

185 so would those treaties be essentially different.

186Different commercial concerns

187 must create different interests,

188 and of course different degrees of political attachment

189 to and connection with different foreign nations.

190Hence it might and probably would happen

191 that the foreign nation

192 with whom the SOUTHERN confederacy might be at war

193 would be the one

194 with whom the NORTHERN confederacy

195 would be the most desirous

196 of preserving peace and friendship.

197An alliance so contrary to their immediate interest

198 would not therefore be easy to form,

199 nor, if formed,

200 would it be observed and fulfilled

201 with perfect good faith.

202Nay, it is far more probable

203 that in America, as in Europe,

204 neighboring nations,

205 acting under the impulse of opposite interests

206 and unfriendly passions,

207 would frequently be found taking different sides.

208Considering our distance from Europe,

209 it would be more natural for these confederacies

210 to apprehend danger from one another

211 than from distant nations,

212 and therefore that each of them should be more desirous

213 to guard against the others

214 by the aid of foreign alliances,

215 than to guard against foreign dangers

216 by alliances between themselves.

217And here let us not forget

218 how much more easy it is

219 to receive foreign fleets into our ports,

220 and foreign armies into our country,

221 than it is to persuade or compel them to depart.

222How many conquests did the Romans and others make

223 in the characters of allies,

224 and what innovations did they under the same character

225 introduce into the governments of those

226 whom they pretended to protect.

227Let candid men judge, then,

228 whether the division of America

229 into any given number of independent sovereignties

230 would tend to secure us

231 against the hostilities

232 and improper interference of foreign nations.

233PUBLIUS.