It is empowering to read John Jay's approach to Federalist Paper #2 and how it compares to Alexander Hamilton in Federalist #1. Hamilton's use of wording is eloquent and sets the precedent for the Federalist papers; however it appeals ideally to the educated man, where words have been chosen carefully and meticulously. Jay follows this, by instead, focusing on content and pleas to the hearts of the common man. Jay's proposal speaks of national sovereignty and state unity. The idea of #2, was for every man to recognize, much like Thomas Paine's philosophy, that society would work better together, unitarily. In addition, Jay asks, that men decide for themselves, why the drafting of a Constitution would be "the right thing to do," vs., having a group of aristocrats telling them this was a good idea, much like Hamilton's approach.
1 comment:
Jeff,
Your thoughts on comparing the 2 papers are intriguing. They needed to be a bit clearer or more fully argued though. What specifically in #1 seems more specifically to appeal to the elite? Is it specific words or ideas? Same with the idea of #2 as more appealing to the common person.
So, promising but you needed to be a bit more precise.
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