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Federalist No. 58
I was tempted to not closely read Federalist No. 58 because I already knew that the assumptions it contained, however accurate they may have been in the 18th century had been rendered obsolete int he 20th century. For the first … Continue reading
Federalist No. 57
Federalist No. 57 contains a statement describing the proper goals of any constitution boiled down to two simple points: The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom … Continue reading
Federalist Nos. 55 – 56
Federalist No. 55 and Federalist No. 56 explore a subject which has grown increasingly interesting and important to me the more I have studied – that is a consideration of the proper size of the House of Representatives. Here I … Continue reading
Federalist No. 54
Federalist No. 54 is not particularly applicable to any of our current political issues, but it is very instructive of the process of political compromise. I also found it to be a very interesting example of the logical somersaults that … Continue reading
Federalist Nos. 52 – 53
Federalist No. 52 and Federalist No. 53 begin an exploration of the individual branches of government as defined in the Constitution by considering the purpose, composition, and structure of the House of Representatives. While they were trying to rectify the … Continue reading
Posted in General
Tagged documents, federalist, history, political figures, questions
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Federalist No. 50
Federalist No. 50 brings forth the distinction between occasional appeals to the people and periodical appeals to the people. While I am not sure that this paper really satisfies the question it does force consideration of the question of what … Continue reading
Federalist No. 49
Federalist No. 49 really surprised me. The topic is keeping the proper balance of powers in check through the use of constitutional conventions when the balance of powers were out of bounds. I expected a favorable opinion from the paper. … Continue reading
Federalist Nos. 47 – 48
I had never really considered the interplay between the concept of separation of powers and the concept of checks and balances between branches of government. Here Madison explores the limits on the separation of powers (Federalist No. 47) and the … Continue reading
Posted in National
Tagged checks and balances, documents, federalist, history, Pennsylvania, separation of powers, State Constitution
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Federalist No. 46
The subject and position of Federalist No. 46 is not substantially different from Federalist No. 45 and my reaction is largely the same as before. On the other hand, Madison makes an important point that expands the scope of my … Continue reading
Posted in culture
Tagged civic participation, documents, federalist, government, history
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Annapolis Convention
It was not so long ago that I became aware of the Annapolis Convention of 1786. Though I had started reading the resulting report before I got my pocket Constitution I was very excited to see that it was included … Continue reading
Posted in National
Tagged Articles of Confederation, Constitution, documents, history, ideas
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