Constitution Sunday: “Publius,” The Federalist XLVI [James Madison]

New-York Packet January 29, 1788 James Madison, who would later become the fourth President of the United States, sought to quell fears of an overreaching and overly powerful federal government. The Constitution’s opponents had shared their fears—fears that Madison called “chimerical”—of a federal government that took power from the states and dominated the country’s governing. […]

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Constitution Sunday: “Publius,” The Federalist XLIV [James Madison] Part II

New-York Packet January 25, 1788 The Federalist XLIV [James Madison] Part II Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the Constitution has long sparked controversy, granting Congress the power to create necessary and proper laws to execute its other powers. James Madison, in the Federalist Papers, defended this provision against those who deemed it excessive. […]

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