¶ … Federalist papers sought to inspire a nation to generate a sense of identity and freedom not just from the British government and British identity, but also from the notion that the American government is flawed and ineffective. Several federalist papers in particular, discuss how the government should be as well as help deal with some of the fears and desires of the American public. The Federalist papers that will be examined are: 21, 31, 37, and 51. They discuss truths and principles as well as formation of union and preservation of rights and liberties, along with strategies and approaches to constructing effective government and rule. There are several themes expressed in the entirety of the Federalist papers. In examining these themes, it will help better understand the chosen Federalist papers that highlight these themes in depth. Energy is one of the major themes and became a primary objective of the planned constitution. The authors desire to express and generate a government with adequate energy to regulate successfully to avoid serious pitfalls. This meant that the authors wanted the government to have the ability to address domestic issues and perform the appropriate functions of administration without risking public upheaval. Federalist paper No. 21 shows how the need for government and effective management was not only apparent, but a primary concern.

Another theme expressed is union. The authors of the Federalist papers contend enthusiastically, in defense of the requirement for a union of all thirteen states. Unification not only helps develop a sense of pride and nationalism within the country, but also avoids potential conflicts that may occur within. The authors argue the freedom of Americans depends on maintenance of national unity as well as actions performed to generate unity. Such actions include election and goes into the next major theme, delegated authority.

Delegated authority is one of the fundamental ideologies of an antimonarchist government. Delegated authority denotes principally to the public giving the authority to make and execute laws to nominated representatives. Elections help the public choose who will represent them in the government and also provides a means to unify the country as the public are given the power and the right to choose who will represent and implement laws in the country.

Implementation of laws was another objective the authors wished to express as well as how the government could contain such laws and prevent abuse of power and corruption. Separation of powers and checks and balances are two themes seen through the Federalist papers meant to show the reader the desire for the American government to ensure balanced power throughout and avoid violation of right as well as tyrannical rule. By allocating power among various branches of government, the forefathers hoped to thwart one branch from dictating all the others. Through checks and balances, each branch is allowed explicit powers over the other two branches, with no one division able to arrogate power from its equals.

The last two themes discussed in the Federalist papers are federal government and republican government. Federal government is in reference to a separation of powers between a principal, domestic government and lesser political bodies. In the U.S., authority and accountability is shared between the national government and state governments. A republican government is representation within a government meaning the people designate representatives who then agree on municipal matters. Republican government was the model the founders strived for when they wrote the paper with federal government as a means of control and rule.

In paper 21, Hamilton bases off and constructs from the previous papers' disparagement of confederacies that afford too little power and authority to the principal government. It argues three explicit matters that demonstrate how America's system of regime under the Articles has formed an ineffectual and weak national government. Hamilton first discourses the failure of the national government to implement its legislation. Without enforcement of laws, there was no use in passing them. States would have no fear of serious repercussions for disregard of government passed laws creating certain trouble for a nation.

For instance, if an individual attempted to overtake Pennsylvania, under the Articles, the national government would not be able to intervene. Another important issue Hamilton discusses is the inability of the national government under the articles, to effectively collect revenue from the states. National expenses were and have been paid for by the revenue collected from the states. Without possessing the means of compelling states to pay any amount owed, nor determine any amount owed, the government...

Therefore the national government should possess the power to enforce a nationwide consumption tax that all citizens pay straight to the national government. Hamilton argues if citizens wished to pay less consumption tax, all they would have to do is consume less to pay less in taxes, maintaining the tax rate at a sensible and manageable level. The consumption tax is what can be referred to as the modern day sales tax. Several economist agree that a national sales tax instead state sales tax would help eliminate other unnecessary taxes and give more power to the people to control how many taxes they pay while regulating national consumption, therefore appeasing the public as well as offering better resources regulation.
Federalist No. 51 is another of the most identifiable and central of the Federalist Papers, famously contending that one first must permit government to regulate the governed, and then accommodate it to control itself. The authors propose that part of this responsibility involves operative cooperation within an organization of separate powers. (Bingham and O'Leary 78) Madison's explanation naturally counts on not only formal institutions, which could be planned, but also on the specific sociological construction of American society, which he saw as a lucky preliminary point for the writers of the new constitution. The institutional constituent in his resolution was checks and balances, so that there were numerous access points into the government and numerous ways to counterbalance the power that any one branch of the government might then obtain over another.

Madison began the statement of his philosophy in Federalist 51 with an admission that the "have nots" in any civilization are exceedingly likely to attack the "haves." Class struggle in essence, is then attached to politics. "But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others." (Hamilton, Madison and Jay 336) To eliminate struggle of the classes in order to form effective rule, one must unite a country through common interest and preservation of rights. Hamilton explains the importance of sanction and the need to create compliance and punish noncompliance.

The next most palpable defect of the subsisting Confederation, is the total want of a SANCTION to its laws. The United States, as now composed, have no powers to exact obedience, or punish disobedience to their resolutions, either by pecuniary mulcts, by a suspension or divestiture of privileges, or by any other constitutional mode. (Hamilton et al. 52)

In Federalist No. 31, Hamilton preludes his argument by discussing "primary truths, or first principles." He declares that philosophies within natural science are clearly apparent and must be acknowledged and applied. The same can be said of both politics and ethics where certain ideologies are purely common sense. The Constitution's provisions for taxation are constructed from these first principles and should be enforced even though the act of taxation can cause usurpations of state privileges by the national government. It is a necessary act of government and is in essence, based off of natural science, politics, and morality, common sense. To contend against these common sense principles is to promote problem with authority and government. "Caution and investigation are a necessary armor against error and imposition. But this intractableness may be carried too far, and may degenerate into obstinacy, perverseness, or disingenuity." (Hamilton et al. 67) The British government, for example, restricted and limited the power of the people. This led to American settlement and creation of a new national government. In order to avoid such occurrences in the United States, the government must contain itself while still executing and maintaining control over the people. "A government ought to contain in itself every power requisite to the full accomplishment of the objects committed to its care, and to the complete execution of the trusts for which it is responsible, free from every other control but a regard to the public good and to the sense of the people." (Hamilton et al. 67)

In Federalist No. 37 Madison criticizes that the founding fathers possessed no real means of influence from suitable sources when creating the Articles. Therefore there was a lack of measure as it pertained to the public and the power of the government, both nationally and locally.

It is a misfortune, inseparable from human affairs, that public measures are…