Federalist 21: Summary of the Defects of the Articles of Confederation HAVING REVIEWED THE PRINCIPAL CIRCUMSTANCES and events which depict the genius and fate of other confederate governments – most notably the lack of federal sovereignty over individuals rather than states (in Federalist 18-20) – I shall now enumerate the most important of those defects…
Federalist 20: The Confederacy of the United Netherlands THE FINAL CONFEDERATION resembling the United States is the present-day United Netherlands. Its contemporary lessons confirm those derived from those confederacies we have already reviewed. United Netherlands United Netherlands is a confederacy of republics (or more precisely aristocracies) consisting of seven coequal and sovereign states. Each state…
Federalist 19: Examination of the German, Polish and Swiss Confederacies SEVERAL EUROPEAN CONFEDERATIONS OFFER more recent evidence than the examples of ancient confederacies discussed in Federalist 18. Germany After Charlemagne In the early ages of Christianity, Germany was occupied by seven distinct nations, none of which had a common chief. One of the seven –…
Federalist 18: Two Confederacies from Greece Offer Valuable Lessons to the United States HERE I DISCUSS HISTORICAL CONFEDERACIES bearing closest resemblance to the former Confederation of the American States. I will discuss the German, Polish and Swiss confederacies in Federalist 19, and the confederacy of the United Netherlands in Federalist 20. The Amphictyonic Council…
ANOTHER OBJECTION made to the principle that Federal law ought to apply to the individual citizens of America is that it would tend to render the government of the United States too powerful, and enable it to absorb those residual authorities which are properly left to the States for local purposes. Those Without Federal Power…
WHEN A CENTRAL AUTHORITY or government directs its legislation to lesser states or communities in their political capacities – as opposed to directing it to the individuals comprising those states or communities – the tendency is towards anarchy, as exemplified both by the experiment we have made of it, and the events which have befallen…
THE POINT NEXT TO BE EXAMINED is why the Articles of Confederation were insufficient to the preserve the Union of the States. Although no one has disputed the proposition, a few observations are in order, since we had reached almost the last stage of national humiliation under that Confederation. The Confederation violated contracts and defaulted…
THE UNION OF THE UNITED STATES will be our bulwark against foreign danger, conservator of peace among ourselves, guardian of our commerce and other common interests, and as the only substitute for those military establishments which have subverted the liberties of the Old World. Union is the proper antidote for the diseases of faction, which…
Federalist 13: Our National Economy Will Prosper with Union THE SEPARATION OF THE STATES into thirteen unconnected sovereignties is a project too extravagant and too replete with danger to have many advocates. Having just discussed the revenue of the Federal government, we now turn to economy. The money saved from one object may be usefully…
Federalist 12: The Union Will Increase Commerce and Therefore Taxes THE FORMATION OF THE UNITED STATES will increase the commercial prosperity of the States and revenues to their governments. The prosperity of commerce is the most useful and productive source of national wealth. The introduction and circulation of precious metals – those darling objects of…