Summary This section of six chapters deals with most of the over-all powers to be granted to the national government under the proposed Constitution. The specific powers of the legislature, executive, and judiciary are discussed later. In Chapter 41, the proposed constitution should be considered from several general points of […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section VII: General Powers: Federalists No. 41-46 (Madison)Summary and Analysis Section VI: Difficulties in Framing Constitution: Federalists No. 37-40 (Madison)
Summary This section of four chapters deals with a wide miscellany of subjects, some of which are touched on only briefly. In Chapter 37, it was a sad commentary on human affairs that public measures can rarely be investigated with a spirit of moderation, said Madison, who then proceeded to […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section VI: Difficulties in Framing Constitution: Federalists No. 37-40 (Madison)Summary and Analysis Section V: Powers of Taxation: Federalists No. 30-36 (Hamilton)
Summary This section of seven chapters analyzes the many problems involved in setting up a just and equitable system of taxation, and in reconciling the conflicting claims of various taxing authorities at all levels of government — federal, state, and local. In Chapter 30, the national government under the Articles […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section V: Powers of Taxation: Federalists No. 30-36 (Hamilton)Summary and Analysis Section IV: Common Defense: Federalists No. 23-29 (Hamilton)
Summary Chapter 23, consisting of seven essays, addressed itself to the question of how best to defend the American people against foreign aggression. Essential to common defense was the authority to raise armies, build and equip a navy, direct their operations, and provide for their support. The Confederation recognized this […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section IV: Common Defense: Federalists No. 23-29 (Hamilton)Summary and Analysis Section III: Disadvantages of Existing Government: Federalist No. 22 (Hamilton)
Summary Another major defect in the existing national government was its lack of power to regulate commerce, both interstate and foreign. There was no field that more immediately needed “Federal superintendence.” The states erected tariff barriers against one another and, in ocean commerce, made their own regulations about foreign trade […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section III: Disadvantages of Existing Government: Federalist No. 22 (Hamilton)Summary and Analysis Section III: Disadvantages of Existing Government: Federalist No. 21 (Hamilton)
Summary In this essay, after wandering around a bit on rather soggy ground, the author comes to his main point: the disabilities of the American central government under the Articles of Confederation. Reiterating what he had said more than once in previous essays, Hamilton emphasized that the chief defect in […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section III: Disadvantages of Existing Government: Federalist No. 21 (Hamilton)Summary and Analysis Section III: Disadvantages of Existing Government: Federalists No. 16-20 (Madison and Hamilton)
Summary Citing the generally unfortunate experience of confederacies in the ancient world, Hamilton continued his argument by saying that the principle of confederacy was the “parent of anarchy,” and an almost certain cause of war. If the union under the Articles of Confederation, not having a large army at its […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section III: Disadvantages of Existing Government: Federalists No. 16-20 (Madison and Hamilton)Summary and Analysis Section III: Disadvantages of Existing Government: Federalist No. 15 (Hamilton)
Summary This section contains eight essays, Chapters 15–22, centered on the theme that the United States could not long survive if the country continued to be governed under the Articles of Confederation, and emphasizing the point that the crisis was imminent and necessitated immediate action against “impending anarchy.” The point […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section III: Disadvantages of Existing Government: Federalist No. 15 (Hamilton)Summary and Analysis Section II: Advantages of Union: Federalist No. 14 (Madison)
Summary This chapter is a summary of the main points made in the preceding essays of this section. Analysis This chapter is a good summary of the main points made by Publius up to this point in the book.
Read more Summary and Analysis Section II: Advantages of Union: Federalist No. 14 (Madison)Summary and Analysis Section II: Advantages of Union: Federalist No. 13 (Hamilton)
Summary A firm union would bring economy in the operations and costs of government. There would be just “one national civil list” to support. Some men were talking of dividing the country into three confederacies, “one consisting of the four northern, another of the four middle, and a third of […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Section II: Advantages of Union: Federalist No. 13 (Hamilton)