Federalist No. 7

In the last article, Hamilton wrote that there was nothing inherent in our circumstances by which war might be prevented between states or confederacies, if there is no Union. In this article, Hamilton describes, rather than false reasons war would be prevented, reasons that war would occur.

First and foremost is land, followed closely by trade. These are universal causes for war, and Hamilton gives a bunch of specific existing disputes that could lead to war at some point, especially in regard to land, as the state borders were not as well-established as the national borders in Europe, and there was a whole bunch of land yet to be claimed, to the West.

Then there's the matter of the public debt, which is held by the states collectively, and would need to be split up. Some states would be hit harder than others, no matter how you deal with it. [This would prove to be a significant problem even in the Union, as we saw with Assumption.]

Hamilton closes by once again noting that a divided America would invite European influence, as they must, if they hate or fear them, attempt to divide and conquer them.

Come back again for another installment of The Federalist .