Some Assembly Required
A Reader Challenge on National Unity
After I published my reflection on Federalist 2, a reader asked me a question that hit like a punch: Is unity in America even possible anymore?
It’s a fair question, and the evidence isn’t promising. Our divides are deep—partisan, regional, cultural. It often feels like we’re a nation in name only, a scattered people clinging to a shared flag but not much else.
I’m an optimist. I believe unity is possible. Not the kind John Jay imagined in 1787, but a unity grounded in shared purpose, not shared ancestry.
When Benjamin Franklin left the Constitutional Convention, a woman asked what sort of government the delegates had created. His reply: "A republic, if you can keep it." That warning endures. This republic will not keep itself. It demands care, effort, and a shared belief in the project. We have to choose to be one people.
Jay saw unity in sameness—language, faith, culture. We live in a country that looks and sounds very different. The need for unity hasn’t disappeared. The form it takes must.
Jay’s Argument for Unity
In the fall of 1787, with the Constitution hanging in the balance, John Jay launched his argument in Federalist No. 2 with a bold claim:
“Providence has been pleased to give this one connected country to one united people.”
Jay went beyond a policy argument—he delivered an emotional appeal. The colonies, he argued, were already one people—united by ancestry, language, faith, and a shared revolution. He painted a picture of unity not just as a strategy but as a natural inheritance.
It was persuasive, but not entirely accurate. The country already housed enslaved people, religious minorities, and deep regional differences. Jay glossed over those complexities to sell a bigger idea: that unity was the foundation of national survival.
He was offering a political ideal, not a social fact. But in times of crisis, ideals have power.
Madison and Hamilton: The Realists
Jay’s fellow authors of The Federalist Papers, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, grounded their arguments in institutional realism. In Federalist No. 10, Madison warned that factions were inevitable and needed to be managed, not eliminated. Hamilton, in Federalist No. 9, emphasized the value of a "confederate republic" as a structure strong enough to contain diversity.
Jay leaned on cultural cohesion. Madison and Hamilton built systems to absorb conflict without collapsing. They all believed in unity; Madison and Hamilton embraced complexity as the price of preserving it.
The Modern American Experience: Reimagining Unity
Jay’s 18th-century vision no longer fits. And that’s a sign of progress.
America today isn’t defined by one language, faith, or ancestry. It’s a layered, restless, pluralistic country defined by ambition and reinvention. Our unity, if it exists, comes not from sameness but from striving together.
The ideals of freedom and opportunity have become the real glue. Flawed and incomplete as they are, they endure. From the civil rights movement to immigration reform to LGBTQ+ advocacy, our most powerful unifying stories are about expanding liberty to those long denied it.
George Washington warned of this fragile hope in his 1796 Farewell Address:
“The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism... your union ought to be considered as a main prop of your liberty.”
Unity isn’t sentimental. It’s strategic. And without it, liberty falters.
Shared Trauma, Shared Identity
America is also shaped by hardship: the Great Depression, two world wars, the civil rights era, 9/11, and COVID-19. These weren’t just events; they were national reckonings.
In crisis, Americans often rediscover a deeper civic muscle. Neighbors show up, communities organize, and debates sharpen into public purpose.
Jay credited Providence with laying the groundwork for national unity, but Americans have had to shape it themselves in practice. But more often, we’ve had to forge it in the fire.
Liberty: The Language We Still Share
Liberty is our national language: the one ideal we still argue in, even when we disagree on meaning. It’s not always defined the same way, but it’s spoken on every side of every major issue. Free speech. Gun rights. Immigration. Voting access. We argue using the same words, even when we mean different things.
That shared grammar matters. It’s proof that we haven’t given up on the premise.
A New Federalist Unity
John Jay saw unity as a legacy. We now understand it as a choice.
We don’t need to look or believe alike to be one people. We need to stay invested in the same institutions, committed to the same ideals, and willing to build something together.
The Federalist Papers weren’t blueprints for a finished country. They were instructions for the one we still haven’t completed.
Jay imagined a republic rooted in shared ancestry. What we have is a republic built on belief. It’s more fragile. But it might be stronger for it.
And just like Franklin said, it’s ours to keep. Or not.
What Can We Do?
Unity isn’t agreement. It’s a shared commitment: to the republic, to its future, and to each other.
Start by blowing up the algorithm. If your feed only reinforces your views, you’re not learning. You’re hiding. Seek out the other side. Engage without mocking. Listen without scripting your reply. If we can’t debate without dehumanizing, democracy doesn’t work.
Stop treating politicians like idols; remember, they work for you, not the other way around.
Ditch the flags with their faces. Hold them accountable.
Focus on problems, not enemies. The goal isn’t to "own" the other side. It’s to fix what’s broken.
Show up. Vote. Read. Speak. Think. Volunteer. Repair what you can. The country gets stronger every time a citizen refuses to be cynical.
And yes, when in doubt, take a little advice from two guys with a time-traveling phone booth:
“Be excellent to each other. And party on, dudes.”
— Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
Call it corny or call it clarity. Either way, the republic can’t keep itself.
It’s up to us.
Thought provoking as usual. What do you think of defining unity as the continued pursuit of healthy interdependence?
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