Selected Federalist Papers

by Hamilton, Alexander; Madison, James; Jay, John; Blaisdell, Bob

• ISBN13: 9780486415987
• ISBN10: 0486415988
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-05-18
• Publisher: Dover Publications

Summary

Brilliant essays comprising a masterful exposition and defense of the proposed federal system of government and of the Constitution's carefully architected system of checks and balances. This volume contains 35 of the most famous pieces concerning impeachment, dangers from foreign arms and influence, the need for a power of taxation, freedom of the press and much more.

Table of Contents

1 "HAMILTON, Introduction: The Union and It's New Constitution: "Happy Will It Be If Our Choice Should Be Directed by a Judicious Estimate of Our True Interests" (October 27, 1787)"
3 "JAY, Dangers from Foreign Arms and Influence: "The Union Tends Most to Preserve the People in a State of Peace with Other Nations" (November 3, 1787)"
5 "JAY, Dangers from Foreign Arms and Influence, Continued: "Let Us Not Forget How Much More Easy It Is to Receive Foreign Fleets into Our Ports, and Foreign Armies into Our Country, Than It Is to Persuade or Compel Them to Depart" (November 10, 1787)"
7 "HAMILTON, Dangers from War between the States: "What Inducements Could the States Have, If Disunited, to Make War upon Each Other?" (November 17,1787)"
8 "HAMILTON, The Consequences of Hostilities between the States: "The Populous States Would, with Little Difficulty, Overrun Their Less Populous Neighbors" (November 20,1787)"
10 "MADISON, The Union as a Safeguard against Domestic Faction and Insurrection: "A Body of Men Are Unfit to Be Both Judges and Parties at the Same Time" (November 22, 1787)"
11 HAMILTON, The Utility of the Union in Respect to Commercial Relations and Navy: "Under a Vigorous National Government, the Natural Strength and Resources of the Country, Directed to a Common Interest, Would Baffle All the Combinations of European Jealousy to Restrain Our Growth: (November 24, 1787)
13 "HAMILTON, Advantage of the Union in Respect to Economy in Government: "Separation Would Be Not Less Injurious to the Economy Than to the Tranquillity, Commerce, Revenue, and Liberty of Every Part" (November 28, 1787)"
15 "HAMILTON, The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union: "The Passions of Men Will Not Conform to the Dictates of Reason and Justice without Constraint" (December 1, 1787)"
16 "HAMILTON, The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation Continued: "When the Sword Is Once Drawn, the Passions of Men Observe No Bounds of Moderation" (December 4, 1787)"
21 "HAMILTON, Defects of the Present Confederation: "The United States Afford the Extraordinary Spectacle of a Government Destitute Even of the Shadow of Constitutional Power to Enforce Execution of Its Own Laws" (December 12, 1787)"
22 "HAMILTON, Other Defects of the Confederation: "Laws Are a Dead Letter without Courts to Expound and Define Their True Meaning and Operation" (December 14, 1787)"
31 "HAMILTON, The General Power of Taxation: "The Federal Government Must of Necessity Be Invested with and Unqualified Power of Taxation" (January 11, 1788)"
37 "MADISON, The Difficutlies of the Constitutional Convention in Devising a Proper Form of Government: "A Faultless Plan Was Not te Be Expected" (January 11, 1788)"
38 "MADISON, The Incoherence of the Objections to the Constitution Exposed: "Are Any Two of Them Agreed in Their Objections to the Remedy Proposed, Or in the Proper One to Be Substituted?" (January 15, 1788)"
39 "MADISON, The Proposed Constitution a Composition of Both National and Federal: "It Is Essential to Such a Government That It Be Derived from the Great Body of the Society" (January 16, 1788)"
40 "MADISON, The Powers of the Convention to Form a Mixed Government: "A Constitution Which Is to Be of No More Consequence Than the Paper on Which It Is Written, Unless It Be Stamped with the Approbation of Those to Whom It is Addressed" (January 18, 1788)"
41 "MADISON, General View of the Powers Conferred by the Constitution: "The Choice Must Always Be Made, If Not of the Lesser Evil, at Least of Greater, Not the Perfect Good" (January 19, 1788)"
42 "MADISON, General View of the Powers Conferred by the Constitution, Continued: "It Were Doubtless to Be Wished That the Power of Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves Had Not Been Postponed" (January 22, 1788)"
43 "MADISON, General View of the Powers Conferred by the Constitution, Continued: "Is It True That Force and Right Are Necessarily on the Same Side in Republican Government?" (January 22, 1788)"
51 "MADISON, The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances between the Different Departments: "If Men Were Angels, No Government Would Be Necessary" (February 6, 1788"
53 "MADISON, On the House of Representatives: "The Period within Which Human Virtue Can Bear the Temptations of Power" (February 9, 1788)"
54 "MADISON, The Rule of Three-Fifths: "Let the Case of the Slaves Be Considered" (February 12, 1788)"
57 "MADISON, The Alleged Tendency of the New Constitution to Elevate the Few at the Expense of the Many: "Who Are to Be the Electors of the Federal Representatives?" (February 19, 1788)"
62 "MADISON, On the Senate: "The Equal Vote Allowed to Each State Is a Constitutional Recognition of the Portion of Sovereignty Remaining in the Individual States" (February 27, 1788)"
65 "HAMILTON, On Impeachments: "The Awful Discretion to Doom to Honor or to Infamy the most Distinguished Characters of the Community Forbids the Commitment of Trust to a Small Number of Persons" (March 7, 1788)"
68 "HAMILTON, On the Electoral College: "The People of Each State Shall Choose a Number of Persons as Electors" (March 12, 1788)"
69 "HAMILTON, The President Compared to the King of England and the Governor of New York: "The Executive Authority Is to Be Vested in a Single Magistrate" (March 14, 1788)"
70 "HAMILTON, On the President: "A Feeble Executive Implies a Feeble Execution of the Government" (March 15, 1788)"
74 "HAMILTON, On the Pardoning Power of the President: One Man Appears to Be a More Eligible Dispenser of the Mercy of Government Than a Body of Men" (Marcy 25, 1788)"
78 "HAMILTON, On the Judiciary Department: "It Belongs to the Judges to Ascertain the Constitution's Meaning As Well As the Meaning of Any Particular Act Proceeding from the Legislative Body" (May 28, 1788)"
80 "HAMILTON, On the Powers of the Judiciary: "It Will Be Necessary to Consider What Are Its Proper Objects" (May 28, 1788)"
81 "HAMILTON, On the Powers of the Judiciary, Continued: "Wherever There Is an Evident Opposition, the Laws Ought to Give Place to the Constitution" (May 28, 1788)"
84 "HAMILTON, On a Bill of Rights and Freedom of the Press: "Bills of Rights Are Not Only Unnecessary in the Proposed Constitution, But Would Even Be Dangerous" (May 28, 1788)"
85 "HAMILTON, Concluding Remarks: "Whether the Constitution Has Not Been Shown to Be Worthy of the Public Approbation" (May 28, 1788)"