Extension of the Sphere, by Contributing Writer Dianna Greenwood
Why does the Constitution promote the extension of the sphere of influence and is this good for the country and for free people? It is a question worth asking in this day and age when so many of our young people are being influenced by Marxist and socialists who deem our form of government as reprehensible. A government that by its very definition is racist towards the less fortunate and minorities. I contend it is not because through its creation we have been able to avoid those sorts of governments which suppress freedom and cause more harm to the human condition.
Extending the sphere of influence in government is the real innovation of the American Constitution because it encourages growth in land mass and population of the country. It suppresses the influence of factions to cause disunity and eventual failure of the government. Finally, it allows liberty to be preserved for the betterment of the union and humanity.
An extended sphere is where a country is spread over a large area with a large number of people. Hamilton stated that it is “the consolidation of several smaller member states into a one great confederacy.[1]” While he noted Montesquieu’s idea for a small extended sphere is in proportion to its dimensions, Hamilton said that it doesn’t work in America because of the size of the states in terms of area. Were we to follow Montesquieu’s recommendations, we really would be no better off than we were under Great Britain’s rule because monarchies could form, or we would be split into several small commonwealths that form rivalries with each other. Therefore, the idea of extending the sphere is to amass land and more people to reduce those jealousies that manifest themselves into factions. If we don’t, then powerful factions can form which would be detrimental to the preservation of the union.
Extending the sphere is a way to suppress factions from producing “instability, injustice, and confusion[2]” which can lead us down the road to disunion and tyranny. Factions in a small republic “whether amounting to a majority or a minority[3]” can be adverse not only to people’s rights but also to the community because they are motivated by their passion for a single interest regardless of whether or not it is good for the community. Since people have different interests and opinions, the strength of factions is reduced when the number of individuals in a country increases. As such when the sphere is extended, by population, it becomes less likely a strong faction will form. In addition, when the populations are spread out over a large area, the people will naturally form different interests, even if they perform the same type of job. For example, a farmer in New England raising cranberries is not going to have precisely the same concerns or interests that a farmer in Georgia raising cotton is likely to have. In this example both individuals have a general farming interests, but the interests are vastly different making it harder for a large cohesive faction to form and suppress the interest of non-farmers in the union.
In addition to removing majority or minority factions which oppress the interest and/or rights of the community; extending the sphere forces the government to grow from a direct democracy to a representative government. If we are spread out over a larger area it makes it hard for everyone to directly participate in government. Not only does this prevent majority factions from forming but, as Madison notes in Federalist Paper 51, “by comprehending in a society so many separate disruptions of citizens, as will render an unjust combination of a majority of the whole improbably if not impractical,” prevents heredity or self-appointed rule. Therefore, the extended sphere lessens the opportunity for tyranny by breaking up majority factions into diverse factions spread over a large area.
Good government is ensured with representatives rather than direct democracy, where the self-appointed ruler can rise out of mob rule. Liberty is preserved because a majority or minority faction is not suppressing the rights or interest of the community because the community is now composed of a large number of people over large areas. Finally, the union is preserved because liberty has been preserved through the prevention of large factions by the extension of the sphere through land acquisition and population growth.
[1] Federalist Paper #9, Gideon Edition, pg. 30 Paragraph 1
[2] Federalist Paper #10, Gideon Edition, pg. 42 Paragraph 1
[3] Federalist Paper #10, Gideon Edition, Pg 43 Paragraph 1
