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Loading... The Federalist Papers (Dover Thrift Editions: American History) (original 1788; edition 2014)by Alexander Hamilton (Author), James Madison (Author), John Jay (Author)
Work InformationThe Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton (1788)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. I had read excerpts and individual papers hitherto - this time I went cover to cover. Some of the papers got a bit windy (Madison, mostly) but overall there's a reason this is considered one of our founding documents. It's that thorough, that well reasoned and well written to justify it's place in history. I think what surprised me most was their prescience - the founders understood that regional differences would lead to civil war if not restrained, and did their level best to prevent it. And while they weren't successful in preventing it, their Constitution provided the framework for recovering from it. This is vital history in the raw. ( ) Quoting from the preface of this book: "It is supposed that a collection of the papers which have made their appearance in the gazettes of this city, under the Title of the FEDERALIST, may not be without effect in assisting the public judgment on the momentous question of the constitution of the United States, now under consideration by the people of America. . ." I just finished this book after a long hiatus. It took me awhile to figure out a strategy for reading it, which for me turned out to be reading one chapter a day. Once I approached it that way, I found it to be fascinating, inspiring and eye-opening. Reading it now in the midst of so many debates about the proper role of each of the branches of government as they address domestic and international issues has been very interesting. The thoroughness of the analysis is very impressive. Madison, Jay and Hamilton had such a wealth of historical knowledge that they brought into their discussions, not just about the forms of various governments (ancient and contemporary), but how those forms played out in particular circumstances. One curious aspect of it though is a strange sort of naivete about the honesty and integrity of individuals who would be filling positions in government. Each of the authors goes to great lengths to describe the checks on less than admirable behavior, but at the same time argues that anyone called to any of these positions would have a certain nobility of character that would ensure acting in the best interests of all the people. Time has shown us over and over again that this is not the case. Even with that small contradictory element, I can't recommend this work more highly--I wish I had read it long ago, and would be interested in a reread of it with other folks. no reviews | add a review
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The Federalist represents one side of one of the most momentous political debates ever conducted: whether to ratify, or to reject, the newly-drafted American constitution. To understand the debate properly requires attention to opposing Antifederalist arguments against the Constitution, and this new and authoritative student-friendly edition presents in full all eighty-five Federalist papers written by the pseudonymous 'Publius' (Hamilton, Madison, and Jay), along with the sixteen letters of 'Brutus', the prominent but still unknown New York Antifederalist who was Publius's most formidable foe. Each is systematically cross-referenced to the other, and both to the appended Articles of Confederation and US Constitution, making the reader acutely aware of the cut-and-thrust of debate in progress. The distinguished political theorist Terence Ball provides all of the standard series editorial features, including brief biographies and notes for further reading, making this the most accessible rendition ever of a classic of political thought in action. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)342.73029Social sciences Law Constitutional and administrative law North America Constitutional law--United States Basic instruments of Government, the US constitution Constitutional historyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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