Federalist No. 39

In the federal system, Madison argued that the national and state governments should not be thought of as “mutual rivals and enemies” because they are “in fact but different agents and trustees of the people, constituted with different powers, and designed for different purposes” (Federalist No. 46). In other words, different levels of government should work within their spheres of influence for the good of the people, not fight against one another. Further addressing the fears of those opposed to the national government established by the Constitution, Madison contended that there would exist in the federal system a natural bias toward the position of the states:

A local spirit will infallibly prevail much more in the members of Congress, than a national spirit will prevail in the legislatures of the particular States. (No. 46)

The Framers of the Constitution created a federal system with a national government strong enough to unify the states in their pursuit of common goals without completely robbing the states of their independence. The inclusion of the federal principle in the Constitution was a critical factor in its approval by the state ratifying conventions. The benefits of federalism, however, have reached far beyond the ratification debates.