New Federalist Papers Essays in Defense of the Constitution

by Brinkley, Alan; Polsby, Nelson W.; Sullivan, Kathleen M.

• ISBN13: 9780393317374
• ISBN10: 0393317374
• Edition: 00
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-09-17
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Summary

In the aftermath of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, three of its most gifted participants--Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay--wrote a series of eighty-five essays, published in newspapers throughout the nation, defending the proposed new government against its opponents. Those essays, known today as the Federalist Papers , explain the philosophical basis of the Constitution and defend the idea of republican government against charges that it would lead to tyranny. Today's political controversies call into question some of the principles that have shaped government through most of this century. New Federalist Papers , written by three constitutional experts, defends the representative democracy put in place by the framers of the Constitution. Like Hamilton, Madison, and Jay, the authors of New Federalist Papers see danger in the effort to diminish and relocate federal power. They recognize that it is the task of public discourse to bring about reasoned consideration of such issues as gun control, term limits, flag burning, the balanced budget amendment, and campaign finance reform.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction	p. 1
The Contemporary Relevance of The Federalist	p. 7
The Assault on Government	p. 15
The Challenge to Deliberative Democracy	p. 23
On the Distinctiveness of the American Political System	p. 29
The American Party System	p. 37
The Presidential Campaign, British Style	p. 45
Money in Presidential Campaigns	p. 51
Campaign Finance Reform: A Response to Nelson W. Polsby	p. 55
What's Wrong with Constitutional Amendments?	p. 61
Term Limits	p. 69
Democracy and the Federal Budget	p. 75
The Item Veto	p. 81
Liberty and Community	p. 87
Representation of Racial Minorities	p. 103
The Balance of Power between the Federal Government and the States	p. 111
Relegitimizing Government	p. 123
The Privatization of Public Discourse	p. 139
The Role of the Media in Representative Government	p. 151
Constitutional Angst: Does American Democracy Work?	p. 159
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