It seems appropriate on this day, the birthday of our 17th President, to draw attention to the fact that The Federalist, that collaborative work which has for 220 years epitomized the eloquent defense of our Constitution and all its values, begins first and foremost with a rationale that that document should be accepted based on the assertion that a Union of the several states would be in every manner superior to a group of confederacies or independent republics. Publius was able to convince his readers of this fact in 1787-88, but by the middle of the next century an entire region of the United Stated was openly challenging this assertion. It fell to another man to do the convincing, and regrettably, by that point the issue was beyond being settled by well-crafted essays; the only recourse left open to him was war.
Abraham Lincoln was not a popular president; he was loathed in the South, and hated by more than a few in the North as well. His tenure was fraught with the most trying circumstance immaginable, a civil war, from the moment of his inauguration. Yet Lincoln never wavered in his firm conviction that, above all, THE UNION MUST BE PRESERVED. It would ultimately cost him his life.
In The Federalist No. 2, John Jay writes, "I sincerely wish that it may be as clearly forseen by every good citizen, that whenever the dissolution of the Union arrives, America will have reason to exclaim, in the words of the poet, 'Farewell! A long Farewell to all my Greatness!'" Linclon did indeed foresee that reality, at a time when many did not. For that, he is deserving of the lasting gratitude of his countrymen, of which I am one.
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Yes, happy birthday, Mr. Lincoln, our 16th President. He is indeed worthy of our admiration, for without his unwavering determination, the Union probably would not have lasted.
Speaking of The Federalist Papers and Mr. Lincoln, it may interest you to know that two of Alexander Hamilton's sons (James A. Hamilton and John. C. Hamilton) lived long enough to see Lincoln become President and the conclusion of the Civil War. In the Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress, there are several letters of these two men wrote letters to Lincoln giving him their advice and support. Particularly interesting is a letter written by John C. Hamilton about the right of the federal government in the case of coercing revolting states. Also is a letter by James A. Hamilton to Lincoln, enclosing a miniature portrait of Alexander Hamilton; this seems to indicate a degree of friendship between the two men.
Just an interesting side-note. ;)
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