Whose Constitutional Advice Should American Patriots Heed?

Should American patriots heed the constitutional advice of Patrick Henry who inspired and led patriots to bold action with words such as these: “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!“?

Patrick Henry entreated Americans not to illegally abandon America’s founding constitution, the Articles of Confederation, which all States had covenanted to adhere to and only to amend by agreed upon procedures in the Articles. This founding constitution protected States’ Rights and American liberties, prevented a centralized Federal Government empire ruled by elites, required all States to maintain a well-armed citizens militia, and guarded citizenship and immigration at the State level. The constitutional advice of Patrick Henry and the other Anti-Federalists was not heeded, at least not by enough of those with power, so the Articles of Confederation were illegally abandoned, and Anti-Federalists left to do their best at maintaining the founding American vision by getting the Bill of Rights added to the Federal Constitution.

Or should American patriots heed the constitutional advice of Alexander Hamilton who mistrusted the American people and believed an elite class should oversee a centralized empire?

Alexander Hamilton, on the other hand, sought a very different constitutional direction for the USA. Here is how a later President of the USA described Hamilton’s vision for the nation: "Alexander Hamilton did more than any, and I had almost said than all, his contemporaries together, to counteract the will of the people and to subvert by undermining the Constitution of their choice. If his sapping and mining policy had been finally successful, if the Republican party, mostly composed of old Anti-Federalists, led by so bold a spirit and such a root-and-branch Republican as Mr. Jefferson, had not arrested the farther progress of his principles and demolished his scheme, this glorious old Constitution of ours, of which we all seem so proud... would long since have sunk beneath the waters of time, an object of neglect and scorn. Our system might then have dissolved in anarchy, or crouched under despotism or under some milder type of arbitrary government —a monarchy, an aristocracy, or, most ignoble of all, a moneyed oligarchy—but as a Republic it would have endured no longer. In this aspect, notwithstanding his great and good qualities—and he had many—Hamilton's course was an outrage upon liberty and a crime against free government." (Martin Van Buren, "Inquiry Into the Origin and Course of Political Parties in the United States" (1867)). The sad reality is that Alexander Hamilton’s constitutional advice was too much heeded, the Articles of Confederation were abandoned, the centralizing Federal Constitution was adopted, and over course of time the Bill of Rights have been perverted and gutted so as not to be able to arrest the centralized empire ruled by an elite that Hamilton sought.

This constitutional advice of Patrick Henry in defense of the Articles of Confederation and warning of a centralizing Federal Constitution was prescient as to where the advice of Alexander Hamilton would end:

“Sir, give me leave to demand, what right had they to say, We, the People? My political curiosity, exclusive of my anxious solicitude for the public welfare, leads me to ask who authorized them to speak the language of, We, the People, instead of We, the States? States are the characteristics, and the soul of the confederation. If the States be not the agents of this compact, it must be one of great consolidated National Government of the people of all the States… I need not take much pains to show that the principles of this system are extremely pernicious, impolitic, and dangerous… You are not to inquire how your trade may be increased, nor how you are to become a great and powerful people, but how your liberties can be secured; for liberty ought to be the direct end of your Government… Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force: Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined… Something must be done to preserve your liberty and mine: The Confederation; this same despised Government, merits, in my opinion, the highest encomium: It carried us through a long and dangerous war: It rendered us victorious in that bloody conflict with a powerful nation: It has secured us a territory greater than any European monarch possesses: And shall a Government which has been thus strong and vigorous, be accused of imbecility and abandoned for want of energy? Consider what you are about to do before you part with this Government… we are told that we need not fear; because those in power, being our Representatives, will not abuse the power we put in their hands: I am not well versed in history, but I will submit to your recollection, whether liberty has been destroyed most often by the licentiousness of the people, or by the tyranny of rulers? I imagine, sir, you will find the balance on the side of tyranny: Happy will you be if you miss the fate of those nations, who, omitting to resist their oppressors, or negligently suffering their liberty to be wrested from them, have groaned under intolerable despotism. Most of the human race are now in this deplorable condition: And those nations who have gone in search of grandeur, power, and splendor, have also fallen a sacrifice, and been the victims of their own folly: While they acquired those visionary blessings, they lost their freedom. My great objection to this Government is, that it does not leave us the means of defending our rights, or of waging war against tyrants: It is urged by some gentlemen, that this new plan will bring us an acquisition of strength, an army, and the militia of the States: This is an idea extremely ridiculous: Gentlemen cannot be earnest. This acquisition will trample on our fallen liberty: Let my beloved Americans guard against that fatal lethargy that has pervaded the universe: Have we the means of resisting disciplined armies, when our only defence, the militia, is put into the hands of Congress?... he Honorable Gentleman who presides, told us, that to prevent abuses in our Government, we will assemble in Convention, recall our delegated powers, and punish our servants for abusing the trust reposed in them. Oh, Sir, we should have fine times indeed, if to punish tyrants, it were only sufficient to assemble the people. Your arms wherewith you could defend yourselves, are gone; and you have no longer an aristocratical; no longer democratical spirit. Did you ever read of any revolution in a nation, brought about by the punishment of those in power, inflicted by those who had no power at all?... A standing army we shall have also, to execute the execrable commands of tyranny: And how are you to punish them? Will you order them to be punished? Who shall obey these orders? Will your Mace-bearer be a match for a disciplined regiment? In what situation are we to be? The clause before you gives a power of direct taxation, unbounded and unlimited: Exclusive power of Legislation in all cases whatsoever, for ten miles square; and over all places purchased for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, etc. What resistance could be made? The attempt would be madness. You will find all the strength of this country in the hands of your enemies: Those garrisons will naturally be the strongest places in the country. Your militia is given up to Congress also in another part of this plan: They will therefore act as they think proper: All power will be in their own possession: You cannot force them to receive their punishment: Of what service would militia be to you, when most probably you will not have a single musket in the State; for as arms are to be provided by Congress, they may or may not furnish them… Let me here call your attention to that part which gives the Congress power, "To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia, according to the discipline prescribed by Congress." By this, Sir, you see that their control over our last and best defence is unlimitted. If they neglect or refuse to discipline or arm our militia, they will be useless: the States can do neither, this power being exclusively given to Congress: The power of appointing officers over men not disciplined or armed is ridiculous: So that this pretended little remains of power left to the States may, at the pleasure of Congress, be rendered nugatory. Our situation will be deplorable indeed… The distinction between a National Government and a Confederacy is not sufficiently discerned. Had the delegates who were sent to Philadelphia a power to propose a Consolidated Government instead of a Confederacy?... If we admit this Consolidated Government it will be because we like a great splendid one. Some way or other we must be a great and mighty empire; we must have an army, and a navy, and a number of things: When the American spirit was in its youth, the language of America was different: Liberty, Sir, was then the primary object. We are descended from a people whose Government was founded on liberty: Our glorious forefathers of Great-Britain, made liberty the foundation of everything. That country is become a great, mighty, and splendid nation; not because their Government is strong and energetic; but, Sir, because liberty is its direct end and foundation: We drew the spirit of liberty from our British ancestors; by that spirit we have triumphed over every difficulty: But now, Sir, the American spirit, assisted by the ropes and chains of consolidation, is about to convert this country to a powerful and mighty empire: If you make the citizens of this country agree to become the subjects of one great consolidated empire of America, your Government will not have sufficient energy to keep them together: Such a Government is incompatible with the genius of republicanism: There will be no checks, no real balances, in this Government: What can avail your specious imaginary balances, your rope-dancing, chain-rattling, ridiculous ideal checks and contrivances?... who knows the dangers that this new system may produce; they are out of the sight of the common people: They cannot foresee latent consequences: I dread the operation of it on the middling and lower classes of people: It is for them I fear the adoption of this system.”

Another Anti-Federalist well stated in these concise words where abandoning the Articles of Confederation and adopting the centralizing Federal Constitution would ultimately lead:

"This being the beginning of American freedom, it is very clear the ending will be slavery, for it cannot be denied that this constitution [the Federal Constitution which replaced the Articles of Confederation] is, in its first principles, highly and dangerously oligarchical; and it is every where agreed, that a government administered by a few, is, of all governments, the worst." —Leonidas (pseudonym) in Anti-Federalist Paper No. 48

Hence the Goal of our Cause is to partition out of the USA those liberal blue areas enamored of Alexander Hamilton’s vision in a sea of red areas that remain part of the USA and to restore to the USA of Anglo-American Patriot States the Articles of Confederation as our national constitution:

The USA was founded as a Confederation of Anglo-American Patriot States, not as a centralized “global nation” empire ruled by elites. Yet progressively the former founding vision has been replaced by the latter political reality. This Cause seeks to return America to its historic identity, an identity described in historian Dr. Samuel P. Huntington’s book Who Are We? The Challenges to America’s National Identity.

America’s first national flag (the Continental Colors or Grand Union flag) is the symbol of our enterprise precisely because it reflects our national identity:

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Committees of Correspondence by State: http://www.puritans.net/articles/State%20Committees%20of%20Correspondence%20by%20State.htm

Index of Articles related to this Cause: http://www.puritans.net/articles/indexarticlesconfederation.htm .