A Blog Exploring American History and Politics
New-York Packet January 25, 1788 In a country comprised of states, there is bound to be overlap between what those states’ governments may do and what the federal government may do. But the draft Constitution clarified those boundaries and identified many of the rights that states have and don’t have. Crucially, the Constitution sets limits […]
MoreIndependent Journal (New York) January 19, 1788 Engineering a coup can be difficult. Usually, it requires a military to not only lose faith in the civilian government but to organize an overthrowing of that government. Democratic republics fear this prospect as much as any other type of government. Although democratic republics are better suited for […]
More“Publius,” The Federalist IX [Alexander Hamilton] Independent Journal (New York), November 21, 1787 Following are excerpts from Alexander Hamilton’s writings in the Federalist Papers: “When Montesquieu recommends a small extent for republics, the standards he had in view were of dimensions, far short of the limits of almost every one of these States.
More“Publius,” The Federalist VIII [Alexander Hamilton] New-York Packet, November 20, 1787 Following are excerpts from The Federalist VIII, authored by Alexander Hamilton: “Assuming it therefore as an established truth that the several States, in case of disunion, or such combinations of them as might happen to be formed out of the wreck of the general confederacy,
MoreWhile during the American Revolution, the judiciary was mostly forgotten, in the interest of controlling gubernatorial power by empower legislatures, that began to change during the 1780s.
MoreWilliam Findley, a man of Irish descent who came to play a powerful role in Pennsylvanian politics, had an idea about what a politician should be. He said that politicians should be able to advocate for their own cause when they take the floor, that politicians should openly support their interests. Gordon Wood, Empire of Liberty, […]
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