The Price of Greatness

April 15, 2018
Founding Fathers worried over inequality, popular sovereignty, and economic growth.Controversy over the meaning of the Constitution, the powers of the presidency, and the reach of federal government; concern about the political influence of wealthy citizens and corruption among elected officials; questions about the effects of tariffs on economic stability--these issues that beset contemporary America began in its earliest days. Focusing on James Madison (1751-1836) and Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804), Weekly Standard contributing editor Cost (A Republic No More: Big Government and the Rise of American Political Corruption, 2015, etc.) offers a revealing look at how their contrasting political philosophies shaped the new nation's domestic and foreign policies. Although they eventually became fierce opponents, Madison and Hamilton began as allies, sharing a belief "that people were easily led astray by selfish interests that undermined the cause of good government." State oversight could not be trusted to rein in opportunism and greed. Their proposals for fostering a strong federal government, however, were at odds: Hamilton envisioned a system emulating Britain's, where senators, appointed by an electoral college, would serve for life, as would the president. Only members of the House would serve three-year terms. The "natural aristocracy" would be drawn from wealthy men, who, merely by virtue of their wealth, had proven their talent for leadership. He proposed a strategy of mediation whereby "individual factions within society would receive direct benefits from the government" in the expectation that they would invigorate the economy and therefore benefit the whole nation by growing its industries. Madison, on the other hand, saw a society dominated by agriculture, "populated by able-bodied, independent farmers." Deeply suspicious of warring factions, he proposed two chambers of Congress, apportioned according to population, with the power to veto state laws. Madison's views were held by Republicans, including Jefferson and James Monroe; Hamilton's, by Federalists, including Washington and John Adams. All recognized the difficulty of balancing nationalism, liberalism, and republicanism, and all saw the risk of factions usurping popular sovereignty.A well-argued examination of the nation's founding principles.

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April 23, 2018
Weekly Standard senior writer Cost traces the republican beliefs of James Madison and the mercantile leanings of Alexander Hamilton, arguing that competing political philosophies in the earliest years of the United States “prefigured contemporary American politics.” Cost’s distillation of the source material—the Federalist Papers and Hamilton’s essays on government—allows readers with a basic grasp of Constitution-era U.S. history to follow along. Madison’s views vested the people with sole authority for government, with a great variety of parties and interests in “well-organized political conflict” and carefully calibrated tension. Hamilton was far more disposed toward strong executive power and favoring the wealthy. Cost’s descriptions of postindependence political wrangling and the first decades of the new United States are clear and easily grasped, but his application of the extended battle of ideas through the 19th century is less persuasive, as it is based on an out-of-date understanding of ideas: this early generation of political conflict was vital to the foundation of the country, but given ensuing conflicts such as those over the acceptability of slavery, the American ideological landscape has since become much more complex than accounted for by this work. This is more valuable as a resource on colonial political philosophy than as an explanation of the U.S.’s current conflicts.

July 1, 2018

Editor (The Weekly Standard) and author (A Republic No More) Cost dispels the myth that the Founding Fathers had a single, unified vision for the nascent United States in this compelling monograph of Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and their dueling ambitions for the country. The author describes two themes within which Hamilton and Madison shaped their ideals; for Hamilton, it was national vigor, while Madison sought republican balance. Hamilton hoped to turn the wealthy into conduits for advancing national interests by giving them short-term advantages in the commercial sector. Madison, however, viewed the government as a neutral entity, creating fair policies that benefitted the common good. But rather than pit these goals against one another, Cost makes it clear that both men were justified in their pursuits and that their friendship, devolving into a feud over time, is emblematic of a clash in fundamental American values present since George Washington left office. Equal parts fascinating and alarming, this work illustrates how corrupt our government has always been. VERDICT A fair assessment of two Founders' legacies and highly relevant to our current political climate.--Jessica Holland, Lexington, KY

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