Historic Papers and Writings – Page 2 – The Constitution • Constitution.com

The Federalist Papers – No. 77

The Appointing Power Continued and Other Powers of the Executive Considered From the New York Packet. Friday, April 4, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: IT HAS been mentioned as one of the advantages to be expected from the co-operation of the Senate, in the business of appointments, that […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 76

The Appointing Power of the Executive From the New York Packet. Tuesday, April 1, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: THE President is “to NOMINATE, and, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 75

The Treaty Making Power of the Executive For the Independent Journal Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: THE President is to have power, “by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the senators present concur.” Though this provision has been assailed, […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 74

The Command of the Military and Naval Forces, and the Pardoning Power of the Executive From the New York Packet. Tuesday, March 25, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: THE President of the United States is to be “commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States, and […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 73

The Provision For The Support of the Executive, and the Veto Power From the New York Packet. Friday, March 21, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: THE third ingredient towards constituting the vigor of the executive authority, is an adequate provision for its support. It is evident that, without […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 72

The Same Subject Continued, and Re-Eligibility of the Executive Considered From the New York Packet. Friday, March 21, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: THE administration of government, in its largest sense, comprehends all the operations of the body politic, whether legislative, executive, or judiciary; but in its most […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 71

The Duration in Office of the Executive From the New York Packet. Tuesday, March 18, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: DURATION in office has been mentioned as the second requisite to the energy of the Executive authority. This has relation to two objects: to the personal firmness of […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 70

The Executive Department Further Considered From the New York Packet. Tuesday, March 18, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: THERE is an idea, which is not without its advocates, that a vigorous Executive is inconsistent with the genius of republican government. The enlightened well-wishers to this species of government […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 69

The Real Character of the Executive From the New York Packet. Friday, March 14, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: I PROCEED now to trace the real characters of the proposed Executive, as they are marked out in the plan of the convention. This will serve to place in […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 68

The Mode of Electing the President From the New York Packet. Friday, March 14, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: THE mode of appointment of the Chief Magistrate of the United States is almost the only part of the system, of any consequence, which has escaped without severe censure, […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 67

The Executive Department From the New York Packet. Tuesday, March 11, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: THE constitution of the executive department of the proposed government, claims next our attention. There is hardly any part of the system which could have been attended with greater difficulty in the […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 66

Objections to the Power of the Senate To Set as a Court for Impeachments Further Considered From the New York Packet. Tuesday, March 11, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: A REVIEW of the principal objections that have appeared against the proposed court for the trial of impeachments, will […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 65

The Powers of the Senate Continued From the New York Packet. Friday, March 7, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: THE remaining powers which the plan of the convention allots to the Senate, in a distinct capacity, are comprised in their participation with the executive in the appointment to […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 64

The Powers of the Senate From the New York Packet. Friday, March 7, 1788. Author: John Jay To the People of the State of New York: IT IS a just and not a new observation, that enemies to particular persons, and opponents to particular measures, seldom confine their censures to such things only in either as […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 63

The Senate Continued For the Independent Journal. Author: Alexander Hamilton or James Madison To the People of the State of New York: A FIFTH desideratum, illustrating the utility of a senate, is the want of a due sense of national character. Without a select and stable member of the government, the esteem of foreign powers will not only […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 62

The Senate For the Independent Journal. Author: Alexander Hamilton or James Madison To the People of the State of New York: HAVING examined the constitution of the House of Representatives, and answered such of the objections against it as seemed to merit notice, I enter next on the examination of the Senate. The heads into which this member […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 61

The Same Subject Continued: Concerning the Power of Congress to Regulate the Election of Members From the New York Packet. Tuesday, February 26, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: THE more candid opposers of the provision respecting elections, contained in the plan of the convention, when pressed in argument, […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 60

The Same Subject Continued: Concerning the Power of Congress to Regulate the Election of Members From the New York Packet. Tuesday, February 26, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: WE HAVE seen, that an uncontrollable power over the elections to the federal government could not, without hazard, be committed […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 59

Concerning the Power of Congress to Regulate the Election of Members From the New York Packet. Friday, February 22, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton To the People of the State of New York: THE natural order of the subject leads us to consider, in this place, that provision of the Constitution which authorizes the national legislature to […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 58

Objection That The Number of Members Will Not Be Augmented as the Progress of Population Demands Considered Author: James Madison To the People of the State of New York: THE remaining charge against the House of Representatives, which I am to examine, is grounded on a supposition that the number of members will not be augmented […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 57

The Alleged Tendency of the New Plan to Elevate the Few at the Expense of the Many Considered in Connection with Representation From the New York Packet. Tuesday, February 19, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton or James Madison To the People of the State of New York: THE THIRD charge against the House of Representatives is, that it will […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 56

The Same Subject Continued: The Total Number of the House of Representatives From the New York Packet. Tuesday, February 19, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton or James Madison To the People of the State of New York: THE SECOND charge against the House of Representatives is, that it will be too small to possess a due knowledge of the […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 55

The Total Number of the House of Representatives From the New York Packet. Friday, February 15, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton or James Madison To the People of the State of New York: THE number of which the House of Representatives is to consist, forms another and a very interesting point of view, under which this branch of the […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 54

The Apportionment of Members Among the States From the New York Packet. Tuesday, February 12, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton or James Madison To the People of the State of New York: THE next view which I shall take of the House of Representatives relates to the appointment of its members to the several States which is to be […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 53

The Same Subject Continued: The House of Representatives From the New York Packet. Tuesday, February 12, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton or James Madison To the People of the State of New York: I SHALL here, perhaps, be reminded of a current observation, “that where annual elections end, tyranny begins. ” If it be true, as has often been […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 52

The House of Representatives From the New York Packet. Friday, February 8, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton or James Madison To the People of the State of New York: FROM the more general inquiries pursued in the four last papers, I pass on to a more particular examination of the several parts of the government. I shall begin with […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 51

The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments From the New York Packet. Friday, February 8, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton or James Madison To the People of the State of New York: TO WHAT expedient, then, shall we finally resort, for maintaining in practice the necessary partition of power among […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 50

Periodic Appeals to the People Considered From the New York Packet. Tuesday, February 5, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton or James Madison To the People of the State of New York: IT MAY be contended, perhaps, that instead of OCCASIONAL appeals to the people, which are liable to the objections urged against them, PERIODICAL appeals are the proper and […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 49

Method of Guarding Against the Encroachments of Any One Department of Government by Appealing to the People Through a Convention From the New York Packet. Tuesday, February 5, 1788. Author: Alexander Hamilton or James Madison To the People of the State of New York: THE author of the “Notes on the State of Virginia,” quoted in the last […]

The Federalist Papers – No. 48

These Departments Should Not Be So Far Separated as to Have No Constitutional Control Over Each Other From the New York Packet. Friday, February 1, 1788. Author: James Madison To the People of the State of New York: IT WAS shown in the last paper that the political apothegm there examined does not require that the […]