The Federalist Papers · Chapter
XXV: The Same Subject Continued (The Powers Necessary to the Common Defense Further Considered) explained
Hamilton argues that the common defense must be managed by the federal government, not the states, because threats from foreign powers and Indian nations are common to all.
What happens
Hamilton argues that the common defense must be managed by the federal government, not the states, because threats from foreign powers and Indian nations are common to all. He warns that separate state military forces would lead to jealousy, rivalry, and danger to the Union. He also critiques proposals to prohibit standing armies in peacetime, showing that such restrictions are impractical and dangerous, and uses historical and contemporary examples to demonstrate that necessity often overrides rigid constitutional rules.
Themes in this chapter
National Security and Foreign Relations
Hamilton emphasizes the common danger from foreign powers and Indian nations, arguing that only a unified federal government can provide adequate defense.
Federalism and the Necessity of Union
The chapter argues that separate state military forces would undermine the Union and lead to rivalry, reinforcing the need for a strong federal head.
Human Nature and the Capacity for Self-Government
Hamilton warns that rulers might fabricate pretenses of danger, and that nations often disregard rules when necessity presses, highlighting the challenges of self-government.
Characters to notice
- Publius
The authorial voice presenting the argument for federal control of defense and against restrictions on standing armies.
- Alexander Hamilton
The actual author of this Federalist Paper, writing as Publius to advocate for ratification.
- Congress
Referenced as the body that must consent to states having ships or troops under the Confederation.
- The Lacedaemonians
Cited for their maxim against re-appointing the same admiral, and their subterfuge to bypass it.
- The Indians
Mentioned as a potential source of hostilities instigated by Spain or Britain.
Key passages
“The territories of Britain, Spain, and of the Indian nations in our neighborhood do not border on particular states, but encircle the Union from Maine to Georgia. The danger, though in different degrees, is therefore common.”
Foreign threats from Britain, Spain, and Indian tribes surround the entire Union, not just individual states, so the danger is shared by all.
Hamilton uses geography to argue that defense must be a common responsibility.
“If the resources of such part becoming more abundant and extensive, its provisions should be proportionally enlarged, the other states would quickly take the alarm at seeing the whole military force of the Union in the hands of two or three of its members, and those probably amongst the most powerful.”
If a few states built up their military forces, other states would become alarmed and seek to counterbalance them, leading to an arms race.
Hamilton warns of jealousy and rivalry if states control military forces separately.
“The United States would then exhibit the most extraordinary spectacle which the world has yet seen—that of a nation incapacitated by its Constitution to prepare for defense, before it was actually invaded.”
A ban on raising armies in peacetime would leave the nation helpless until an enemy actually attacked.
Hamilton ridicules the idea of prohibiting peacetime armies as impractical and dangerous.
“The steady operations of war against a regular and disciplined army can only be successfully conducted by a force of the same kind.”
Only a regular, disciplined army can effectively fight a similar enemy force.
Hamilton argues that militia alone are insufficient for national defense, citing Revolutionary War experience.
“Nations pay little regard to rules and maxims calculated in their very nature to run counter to the necessities of society.”
Countries often ignore rules that conflict with urgent needs.
Hamilton uses the Lacedaemonian example to show that necessity overrides rigid constitutional restrictions.
