The Philosophy of American Republicanism and Federalism
Dan R. Finley
Helms School of Government, Liberty University
GOVT 327-D02, State and Local Government
Ms. Heather Piedmont
November 8, 2021
Introduction
There were some growing pains as our young nation moved from its independence of England
into the republic established by United States Constitution. The newly formed nation hastily put
together a governing document called the Articles of Confederation that was signed on November
5, 1777. These articles allowed the states to remain sovereign and independent. It also limited the
power of Congress to only those “delegated” (Slonim, 2017, p.3). This concern among others was
noted by Alexander Hamilton in the Federalist Papers.
The states during those eleven years were strong, vigorous, independent-minded political
societies (Robertson, 2012, p.19). They were establishing their own form of government to include
a tax and judicial system. Individually, they made internal laws governing commerce, crime, and
morals transforming themselves into a separate self-governing state. The southern states had large
plantations that could produce crops all year long. The northern states had to resort to smaller
farms and supplemented their economy with fishing and shipbuilding (Robertson, 2012, p. 20).
Support began to grow for the young nation to forge a new document that would weld each state
into one republic.
The Source and Structure of Power
This republican form of government would get its power from the people. The power that they
reserve is the authority to exercise their natural rights (St. Angelo, 2017, p. 28). All people are
sovereign as it pertains to their personal right as afforded to them by God. They do not look to
government to make day-to-day decisions for them. However, it is sometimes necessary to have an
overarching government make decision that is in the best interest of all people. The need to
establish the rights of each individual and give some authority to the national power needed to be
drawn up in a new document. This document would flip the sovereign rule of the states over the
nation but reinforce the natural rights of each citizen.
Federal versus State Power
Framers of the United States Constitution established the foundations of American federalism
The key to understanding the original design of this compound republic lies in the way those
powers were distributed between the states and the national (federal) government (Robertson,
2012, p. 31). The Constitution permitted states to keep their rights for governing everyday life. The
federal government had the power to go to war, build alliances, and manage trade that would
benefit the whole nation.
Biblical Integration
Jesus recognized that a society that does not acknowledge the natural law was not legitimate
because it deprived the citizens from their consent authority (St. Angelo, 2017, p. 176). He told His
disciples to “Give, then, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are
God’s.” (Christian Standard Bible, 2020, Matthew 22:21). Jesus acknowledge that we should
give allegiance to our leaders, but God, who has sovereign authority over those leaders deserves
the final allegiance. Our Pledge of Allegiance confirms this fact that we our “One Nation Under
God”.
Role of Government
Government should have the power to make laws that are for the general welfare of all citizens.
It’s when the government begins to push the envelope to force states to comply with the federal
law. An example would be the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act of 1974 that
prohibited the Federal Highway Administration from approving funding to any state having a
maximum speed limit over fifty-five miles per hour. It was not until 1995 that an amendment to
that act allowed the states to have full control back of speed limits. We are now faced with the
federal government imposing their will onto the states regarding how they should handle the
current pandemic. Many states are pushing back and even filing lawsuits against the federal
government.
REFERENCES
Christian Standard Bible. (2020). Nashville: B&H Publishing Group.
Richard Nixon, Statement on Signing the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act Online
by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/256247, retrieved November 8, 2021
Robertson, B.R. (2012). Federalism and the Making of America. New York: Routledge
Slonim, Shlomo. (2017). Forging the American Nation, 1787-1791: James Madison and the
Federalist Revolution. New York: Springer Nature.
St. Angelo, Kurt. (2017). America’s Republic Form of Government. Scotts Valley, CA:
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
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