The Purpose of Constitutions - Brutus IV
In Brutus IV, an Anti-Federalist author continues his discussion on the failure of representation in the US Constitution.
Brutus IV
November 29, 1787
Anonymous Anti-Federalist author Brutus begins his fourth Paper by continuing where he left off in the third...representation.
He contends that a government can only rule in one of two ways, with the support of the people or by force.
The intention with this essay was to indicate why Brutus believed the US Constitution would lead to the latter.
Confidence
Brutus reminds readers of his prior Paper’s thesis that too few members would be chosen for the House of Representatives.
This situation would lead to the Representatives’ distance from the people. As they would be removed from their Representatives, the people will not know them and, therefore, have no confidence in them.
Furthermore, this intermittent distance would lead to corruption and bribery as a small group of rulers slowly consolidated power.
Consolidation
Brutus elaborated on his fears by pointing to Article I Section 4 of the Constitution.
This segment permits Congress to alter how and where elections take place.
Brutus assumed that elections would only be held in locations that were convenient for the wealthy, continuing a consolidation of power while disenfranchising average Americans.
In his estimation, the further control was removed from the people, the more the Federal Government would have to rely on force to coerce the people into obedience.
Constitutuions
Brutus closes Essay IV by arguing against the idea that good men would rung the nation.
This pleasant thinking was a prevailing belief at the time in Federalist circles.
Brutus, however, pointed out, “that constitutions are not so necessary to regulate the conduct of good rulers as to restrain that of bad ones.”
If you would like to read the original text of Brutus IV, click here to get it for FREE.
This series is only part of my regular publications, so…
If you want to keep up with all the Founders, make sure you subscribe to my daily newsletter here:
I’ve also put a lot of time into reviewing the Federalist Papers, so if you want to read more, check them out here:
