Midterm Questions

What are the advantages and disadvantages of dividing church and state and what were the views of the Puritans regarding church and state. 

How and when did the constitution of the USA come about and how did the Federalist feel about it. Is the constitution as effective today.

Hamilton

However Hamilton also saw that when businesses grow and expand they will pay more taxes and this will increase government revenue even more. Hamilton was willing then to sacrifice the lower classes in order to build up the upper classes (by taxing the poor more and letting investors run financial schemes) who would then provide the kind of financial support necessary for the kind of government he had in mind. This is why government and business hung together so closely in Hamilton's view. Business requires the government to use its power to create conditions good for business, and government relies on business for financing--that is the center of the relationship. Again a strong government would be able to gain the loyalty of the people and transfer their affections and loyalties from the states to the national state. The ultimate goal is to produce a sense of national unity and purpose among the people.


Hamilton strongly believed that the economies success heavily depended on the wealthy class. He states that in order for business to grow in size, the government needs the rich to use their money to invest in goverement companies.  Since the rich would invest into the government they shouldn't be taxed largely. Taxing your investors could possibly make them reclutent to put their money into business. I choose this passage because it relates to the economic debates that we are experiencing now. With the loss of many jobs in America and many business laying off workers, our current president if looking for ways to help our lower and middle class citizens. President Obama proposed a bill which would give lower income citizen and small business a tax break and would tax the rich more. Many people are opposed to this bill because like Hamilton believe that the government shouldn't tax the rich because they are our investors and we wouldn't want to lose them or have them stop spending more in our economy.

The Address and Reasons of Dissent of the Minority of the Convention of Pennsylvania to their Constituents

The Continental convention met in the city of Philadelphia at the time appointed. It was composed of some men of excellent characters; of others who were more remarkable for their ambition and cunning, than their patriotism; and of some who had been opponents to the independence of the United States. The delegates from Pennsylvania were, six of them, uniform and decided opponents to the constitution of this commonwealth. The convention sat upwards of four months. The doors were kept shut, and the members brought under the most solemn engagements of secrecy. Some of those who opposed their going so far beyond their powers, retired, hopeless, from the convention others had the firmness to refuse signing the plan altogether, and many who did sign it, did it not as a system they wholly approved, but as the best that could be then obtained, and notwithstanding the time spent on this subject, it is agreed on all hands to be a work of haste and accommodation.

The Federalist No. 10 Madison

"By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.
There are two methods of curing the mischiefs of faction: the one, by removing its causes; the other, by controlling its effects.
There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests.
It could never be more truly said than of the first remedy, that it was worse than the disease. Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency."

Madison believed that fractions were the reasons for the issues the government and community were facing.  He thought that fractions such as unequal distribution of property and the conquest of the minority over the majority were not of interest of the community.  He felt by removing these fractions “destroying Liberty” and by giving all citizens equal rights and interest could merely solve these issues.

 Madison is correct in one sense however with everything there are pros and cons. Maybe in the 1700”s they could have been more effective  convincing the people of having the same interest with only a minority disagreeing but that could never happen in the 21^st century where everyone demands self interest.