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The Achievement of the Philadelphia Convention
restrain ‘‘the amazing violence and turbulence of the democratic spirit.’’
He hoped for an orderly America led by able men of property, and he
expected the United States to become a great commercial and industrial
power. The nation’s government, he suggested, should be designed for
such a future.
Therefore Hamilton proposed to give the national legislature ‘‘power to
pass all laws whatsoever.’’ His legislature would consist of two houses, of
which the members of the upper house, a senate, would be chosen by
electors—and those electors themselves were to be chosen by other electors whom the people would choose. The executive was also to be chosen
by electors, who in turn would be chosen by other electors, and would be
elected for life—as would be the members of the upper house. The executive would have an absolute veto over all legislation.
As for the States, they would be reduced to agencies of the central government, although they would retain their own legislatures. But each
State’s governor would be appointed by the central government, and
would have power of the veto over all State legislation.
This scheme would never have been accepted by the public in 1787.
Indeed, it was not accepted by any of Hamilton’s colleagues at the Convention. Not long thereafter, Hamilton returned to New York. His real
role in the development of American constitutionalism would soon be
his masterful contribution to the essays of The Federalist, and his commanding role in President Washington’s administration.
Hamilton did not propose to establish a monarchy, although some of
his political adversaries accused him of intending to do just that. Though
personally very courageous, Hamilton dreaded the power of mobs.
There had been much unrest in several States after independence was
secured, including the burning of court houses, confiscation of property, debasement of the currency, and Shays’ Rebellion. Hamilton therefore sought as far as possible to remove political power from the control
of the ignorant masses, and to place it in the hands of more responsible
citizens. He believed that an all-powerful government was necessary to
control lawless and unruly citizens. But his plan would have been even
less acceptable to most Americans of that day than the one proposed by
the Virginia delegates, and so nothing more was said about it at the Convention.