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The Federalist Papers and Federalism

The Federalist Papers were mostly the product of two young men:
pseudonym, “Publius.” In the letters they would explain and defend the

Hamilton started the idea and outlined the sequence of topics to be
discussed, and addressed most of them in fifty-one of the letters. Madison’s
written between October 1787 and May 1788 had any effect on New York’s and
Virginia’s ratification of the Constitution.

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Encyclopedia Britannica defines Federalism as, “A mode of political
organization that unites independent states within a larger political framework
while still allowing each state to maintain it’s own political integrity” (712).

Having just won a revolution against an oppressive monarchy, the American
colonists were in willing to replace it with another monarchy style of
the Articles of Confederation, due to unfair competition between the individual
elsewhere was possible. The Papers were themselves a balance or compromise
of distant authority widely held by Virginia farmers.

In American Government and Politics Today, Madison proposed that,
instead of the absolute sovereignty of each state under the Articles of
Confederation. The states would retain a residual sovereignty in all areas
individuals composing one entire nation, but as composing the distinct and
individual States to which they respectively belong… The act, therefore,
American 85).

The Federalist Papers also provide the first specific mention we have of
powerful form of government. As conceived, popularly elected House of
Representatives would be checked and balanced by a more conservative Senate
popular election of senators). Hamilton observed in letter number 78 that, “A
democratic chief magistrate” (318).

Hamilton defended the Supreme Court’s right to rule upon the constitutionality
of laws passed by national or state legislatures. This historically crucial
legislature, “The pestilential breath of faction may poison the fountains of
justice” (317). Hamilton rejected the British system of allowing the Parliament
to override by majority vote any court decision it finds to its dislike. “The
courts of justice are to be considered the bulwarks of a limited Constitution
against legislative encroachments” (318). Only the difficult process of
amending the Constitution or the gradual transformation of its members to
another viewpoint, could reverse the Supreme Court’s interpretation of that

In the most original of The Federalist Papers, Number 10.Madison
addressed this double challenge. His main concern was the need, “To break and
control the violence of faction” (36). Meaning political parties. He regarded
political party’s as the greatest danger to popular government. Madison wrote:
I understand a number of citizens… are united and actuated by some
citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community. These
possessed. (37)
The idea of separating powers among the various branches of government
to avoid the corruption of concentrated power, falls under larger category of
checks and balances. But The Federalist Papers see another virtue in the
separation of powers, namely, an increase in governmental efficiency and
effectiveness. By being limited to certain functions, the different branches of
government become good at doing a few things rather than doing all of the things.

The observations in The Federalist Papers about government, society and
politics are not easy to locate. Many of these papers sound old in there ideas.

However, The Federalist Papers remain essential to anyone interested in the
constant questions of political theory and the ideas raised by Hamilton, Madison
and Jay. Joseph Sobran, a syndicated columnist, summed up federalism with one
profound sentence. “The federal government was supposed to be kept on a short
leash, lest it claim powers never given to it” (1).

Works Cited
“Federalism.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 1994: 712.

Schmidt, Steffen, Mack C. Shelly II, Barbara A. Bardes. American Government and
Politics Today. New York: west publishing, 1995-1996 ed.

Hamilton, Alexander. “Federalist Paper 78.” Feder16.txt.

Http:// 317-319.

Madison, James. “Federalist Paper 10.”

Http:// 36-39.

Sobran, Joseph. “Founding fathers thought the federal government should be kept
on a short leash.” Http://


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