Comment: It makes no difference

if the Federalist Papers were presenting the case for slavery. The quotation I gave from Madison wasn't in defense of any particular kind of government; it was in defense if government period.

The social contract does not automatically equal a strong central government. We had a weak, central government for the first fourscore and five years of the Union. The centralization of government occurred because the nationalists beat the federalists in war and remained on "the right side of history," thus encouraging future generations to imitate their example. Government is not an abstract monster. In every society and country, it is a reflection of the desire, will, and/or willpower of the people. We have a strong, centralized government today and not a weak, federal government because the vast majority of the people WANT a strong, centralized government to look out for them. It's not the government's fault, it's our neighbor's fault.