The Agrarian Defeat--1783-1787
I. Agrarianism and Capitalism
I. Background of Ideas--English and French contributions. The struggle between political realists and humanitarian liberals. Influence of English middle class. Puritan ethics of work and capitalism. Attitude towards current liberalisms--the state. Influence of Harrington, Locke, Adam Smith. The new individualism. Rousseau and French humanitarianism--decentralization and the paternalistic state. Reasons why English influence prevailed 267
II. The Political Situation: Party alignments. Weakness of agrarians. The composite group of Federalists. Odium attaching to democracy--confused with Populism. Shays’s Rebellion. Reaction from natural rights to economic realism. The return to seventeenth-century republicanism 273
II. The Great Debate--Inadequate theory of republicanism. Earlier English liberalism undemocratic. Democratic theory undeveloped. First debate: republicanism and the majority rule--Madison’s view; the Whig doctrine of property rule. Second debate: opposition to checks on majority will. _The Federalist_--its repute, the augmented state, theory of faction, economic basis of government. _Letters_ of R. H. Lee--analysis of economic conditions, the Constitution undemocratic. Emergence of parties 279
III. Political Thinkers--The English Group
I. Alexander Hamilton--The Leviathan State: Representative of conservative interests. A master of finance, administrator rather than thinker. Inadequate intellectual equipment. A political realist: men are swayed by self-interest; the rule of the strong. Undemocratic. The doctrine of _vox justiciae_. His plan of government--the fallacy of his argument. As a statesman: necessity of allying the wealthy with government: position on funding, taxation, the tariff, the industrial revolution. Statesman of the rising capitalism 292
II. John Adams--Realist: Compared with Dr. Johnson--apostle of common sense. Shift from earlier position. Intellectual qualities. His early constitutionalism--a federated British empire. _A Defense of the Constitution of Government_, and _Discourses on Davila_. Opposition aroused by latter. His political philosophy: theory of human nature, doctrine of rivalry, the class struggle, natural aristocracy. Foolishness of French doctrines of equality and fraternity. Faction the weakness of democracy--the end anarchy or absolutism. The fact of property rule. Hence need for system of checks and balances. Sources of his philosophy--Harrington. Hostility to Hamilton. A notable political thinker 307