U.S. Political Thought


Short Essay Questions for The Constitutional Founding


October 13, 1995
Due: October 20, 1995
Note: Since these were posted on a Friday, I am making them due the next Friday. If you want to turn in your essay on Friday, either (a) give it to the secretary in the Political Science office (936 PLC ) or (b) put it in my mail slot across from the elevator on the ninth floor of PLC. Do not bring it to my office. Be sure to turn it in by 5:00pm.

1. Contrast Federalist and Anti-Federalist views of representation (you will probably want to pay special attention to the writings of Brutus and Madison on this matter and to Storing’s chapter on “The Small Republic”). Anti-Federalists tended to argue that representation cannot work in a large republic. Federalists, in response, did not suggest how the government of a large republic could be made more representative (in Anti-Federalist terms); arguing instead that what Anti-Federalists saw as a breakdown in representativeness was actually desirable. Were the Federalists right? Why/why not? Was there a third alternative--a large republic that was representative in the Anti-Federalist sense? What would it have looked like?

2. There are obvious similarities between the Federalist--Anti-Federalist debate and some contemporary political theories and problems. Examples include the governmental structure of the European Community, bioregionalism (as a kind of ecological Anti-Federalism), and the appeal of the Republican right (transferring power to the states, downsizing the federal government, etc.). If you are familiar with a contemporary issue which echoes themes found in the Constitutional debate, explain the similarities and differences. Where do your own sympathies lie with respect to the Federalist--Anti-Federalist dimension of the contemporary issue?

3. Federalists attacked the Anti-Federalist emphasis on civic virtue by claiming that it was only possible for spartan or poor communities and that it stifled individual enterprise and innovation. Anti-Federalists warned that the Federalist defense of self-interest would bring about a society in which the pursuit of private gain completely overshadowed concern for the common good. Discuss these positions. The Constitution can be viewed as a resolution of this conflict. Since government is made responsible for protecting personal rights and liberties (including the private market economy), self-interested individuals should have a public interest in making sure that it actually does so. In other words, the common good consists in the preservation of optimal conditions for private enterprise and fulfillment. What do you think of this resolution?

4. Discuss the problem of sovereignty in the Constitutional debate. What was the meaning of sovereignty? What were the Federalists’ objections to lodging sovereignty in the states, and what were the Anti-Federalists’ objections to lodging it in the national government? What were the attractions and difficulties of the notion of divided sovereignty, and how was it understood?

5. Your question (please discuss with me before proceeding).