Federalist #11

The Utility of the Union in Respect to Commercial Relations and a Navy  (Hamilton)

In his continued campaign for a united America, Hamilton argues that the creation of a federal navy would greatly increase the nation’s ability to protect her commercial and military interests against Great Britain and other European powers with colonial possessions within the Americas. With such a union in place, Hamilton argues, America would be able to broker friendly trade agreements, possess the ability to intervene in military squabbles within her geographic realm via a federal navy for possible commercial gain, and to counteract the continued mistreatment by European powers towards their colonial holdings.

Hamilton, in noting weariness from European powers of the possibility of an emerging American nation-state and its likely negative impacts to their ongoing commercial and maritime interests, argues that the 13 states, together in a unified government, would be much more likely to command favorable trading agreements, both for United States exports and for foreign imports. Hamilton cites the example of barring the United Kingdom from all U.S. ports and thus, forcing Westminster to engage America for a trading agreement, of which there currently exist none. Furthermore, such a situation would prevent foreign powers from scheming to play each of the 13 states off each other, consequently weakening the region’s ability to enter into any agreement remotely favorable to the American states. Hamilton continues with the notion that a rapidly growing America, with its varied geography and variety of raw materials, and with the proper trade barriers in place, would be such an attraction to foreign nations, they would likely play off each other to garner access to her ports and interior. Finally, Hamilton adds that a vast nation comprising the 13 states, would have the ability to offset agricultural failures in one region with the added support from others, increasing the attractiveness of American products to the highly competitive European marketplace.

Another benefit to America’s ability to secure proper access to the seas and foreign ports is the establishment of a federal navy. Hamilton contends that the development of a naval force would, at a minimum, have the ability to command favorable commercial agreements between feuding European powers within the American sphere, by acting as a neutral or military supporter to one or both nations. The emergence of a United States of America would serve as a policeman of sorts between European nations in their ongoing interests and conflicts in the West Indies and other continental possessions. Such a favorable situation could only benefit the U.S. and allow it the ability to chart a path for success with itself in the captain’s chair. Hamilton warns that disunity would likely result in the stronger powers simply manipulating their overall interests upon the 13 states or a loose confederacy. Hamilton concludes with “A nation, despicable by its weakness, forfeits even the privilege of being neutral” in his support for union among the states.

Hamilton ends the essay with the advantage that vast geography combined with the abundance of raw materials would further benefit a unified America in terms of naval power, and help to resolve and negotiate trading routes with Great Britain and other European powers along the frontiers of the existing states (the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes), with the greater possibility of favorable outcomes for the United States rather than a collection of states or separate agreements with each state. Furthermore, a unified nation would greatly enhance the ability for a collection of people to resist the European mindset that all the world’s peoples were created for the benefit of Europe, according to Hamilton. He ends with the choice that the 13 disunited states can do nothing more than continue the arrogance of European thought or choose to unify and become one strong nation that can dictate trans-Atlantic commerce and rebuff European claims to total dominance of the world.