by Allison Jones
In the second letter to the people of New York, John Jay
wrote about the importance of the union of the states under one
government. It was published 31 October
1787, just three days after the first was published.
“Nothing
is more certain than the indispensable necessity of Government, and it is
equally undeniable, that whenever and however it is instituted, the people must
cede to it some of their natural rights, in order to vest it with requisite
powers.”
Jay writes that Providence, or
rather the will of God, arranged things in favor of union. There were no significant geographical
boundaries between the states and that travel and communication were easily
possible. The second proof was that all
of the states had a common origin in English colonists and thus shared a common
culture. There was no reason for the
people to be entirely separate.
Another
reason was that the people had originally created the Articles of Confederation
to unite the states because they saw the benefit of union. The Constitution was merely the
representatives of the states trying to preserve the union that the people had
already decided that they wanted.
Jay is
of the opinion that American greatness is dependent on the union of the states.
Of more
interest today, Jay’s letter shows what sort of people we should be electing to
Congress. Trustworthy and
dispassionately rational men are needed to weigh the issues for the
nation. He calls for “sedate and candid
consideration”. Jay describes the
elected officials as “wise and experienced men” that “were individually
interested in the public liberty and prosperity, and therefore that it was not
less their inclination, than their duty, to recommend only such measures, as
after the most mature deliberation they really thought prudent and adviseable
[sic].”
Following
that description, it would be more important to vote in those you trust to carefully
consider all the issues instead of those you agree with on all issues.
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