A Compound Constitutional Republic

I have spent the last 4 months in an intensive study of the Constitution. I have read Locke and Montesquie, Madison's notes on the Constitutional Convention, the various Federalist and Anti-federalist Papers, and many, many other sources. I wanted to summarize very briefly what I learned about our Republic here.

First, in small republics (as the U.S. Founders knew them) governmental power is divided into multiple branches. This division prevents the cummulation of power in a single individual or group of individuals, and pits the selfish (localized) interests of each branch against those of the others. In order for any progress to be made, the branches have to set aside selfish interests. This allows for increased virtue in decisions.

Second, only small republics have traditionally survived. Large republics are hard to hold together do to factions that arise. The inability to respond with energy sufficient to put down such factions fully is the flaw, which can only be corrected directly underdictatorship.

Third, however, is a compound republic, one in which governmental powers are divided strictly between two levels of government: the federal and the state. In this way, appropriate energy can be given to each government for its respective purposes, and then divided among such governments as do republics in general. The benefit of a compound republic is that its focus is strong toward internal and external defense and thus it can be granted power sufficient to that purpose. However, the police power necessary for dictatorship is confined to the governments of the states, and not the federal government. Thus, once again, power is divided in such a way that selfish interests are pitted against each other, and thus become unavailable. The states push back if the federal government seeks to usurp authority over them, and the federal government does the same when the States disregard its authority.

The federal government must ensure that the State governments remain republics such that the State police power does not become despotic.

Anyway, This is just a few ideas.