Alexander Hamilton warns that separate American states will not remain peaceful neighbors — because human nature has never allowed such peace to last.
Federalist No. 6 marks Alexander Hamilton’s return to the authorship of the Papers, and with it comes a sharper tone. Where John Jay emphasized unity through shared identity, Hamilton confronts the darker side of history: human ambition, economic rivalry, and political jealousy. His message is clear and unsentimental — if the states fail to unite under the Constitution, they will eventually turn against each other.
Hamilton rejects the idea that the states would remain friendly commercial partners if left loosely connected. History, he argues, shows that political communities motivated by pride, competition, and economic advantage inevitably clash. Nothing in human nature or past experience suggests that thirteen independent or semi-independent states would escape this fate.
In this essay, Hamilton calls for a sober examination of reality. Peace cannot be assumed — it must be structured.
Key Arguments of Federalist No. 6
1. Personal Ambition and Economic Rivalry Drive Conflict
Hamilton notes that leaders throughout history have:
• started wars for personal glory
• pursued domination for its own sake
• allowed ego and resentment to shape policy
• inflamed their citizens with nationalist pride
Even small disagreements have sparked large conflicts when guided by pride rather than reason.
Hamilton warns that state leaders, pursuing local power, would be no different.
2. Commerce Does Not Eliminate Conflict — It Can Create It
Some argued that states would cooperate peacefully because trade would bind them together. Hamilton strongly disagrees.
He points to Europe, where commercial nations:
• wage war over markets
• compete for trade routes
• manipulate tariffs
• form naval rivalries
Trade, in his experience, often fuels conflict rather than preventing it.
3. States Would Form Dangerous Alliances Against One Another
Hamilton warns that separate states or confederacies would form:
• military alliances
• economic blocs
• rival trading zones
These alliances would evolve into hardened rivalries — the very conditions that lead to war.
4. Human Nature Cannot Be Romanticized
Hamilton urges readers to reject idealistic assumptions about virtue and harmony.
History reveals that:
• leaders act out of passion
• nations act out of self-interest
• rivalry is predictable, not exceptional
To expect thirteen young states, each with unique interests and ambitions, to remain peaceful is unrealistic.
5. The Constitution Is the Only Barrier Against Internal Conflict
Without a strong union, the states will eventually fight over:
• land
• commerce
• taxation
• borders
• political
• influence
The Constitution is not merely about efficient governance — it is a safeguard against tearing the country apart.
Modern Relevance
Hamilton’s realism echoes today’s political environment.
Fragmentation — whether between states, regions, or ideological communities — breeds competition and distrust. When groups view each other as rivals rather than partners, cooperation collapses.
Hamilton’s warning reminds us that:
• idealism must be paired with structure
• unity cannot rest on optimism alone
• ambition and rivalry must be balanced by shared institutions
These dynamics still define modern governance, international relations, and even domestic politics.
Herald Ethical Insight
Ethical governance depends on acknowledging human limitations.
Movements for justice — whether animal rights, environmental protection, or human liberation — cannot thrive in a fractured society consumed by rivalry.
Hamilton’s realism supports a core Humane Herald principle:
structures must channel human behavior toward cooperation, not conflict.
Compassion requires stability.
Ethical progress requires unity.
A just society must recognize both our aspirations and our imperfections — and build systems that protect against the latter.
Lesson in Liberty
Peace is not a default. Without unity and shared structure, rivalry and ambition will divide even the best-intentioned societies.
The Humane Herald 