Hamilton was a strong supporter of powerful central or federal government. His belief was that governmental power should be concentrated in the hands of those few men who had the talent and intelligence to govern properly for the good of all the people. Hamilton feared that if most government power was given to states or to the people, it was more likely that self-interest-on the part of individual states or people- would determine decisions, not what was best for everyone. Not surprisingly, Hamilton was a sharp critic of the Articles of Confederation precisely because it gave too much power to the individual states and not enough to the central government.