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Quote by James Madison

“That useful alterations will be suggested by experience, could not but be foreseen . . . . It moreover equally enables the general and state governments to originate the amendment of errors as they may be pointed out by the experience on one side or on the other.”

Quote by James Madison

Book:The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788

Work

The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788

Composed by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, this collection of essays advocates for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, offering insights into the structure and function of the federal government. more

Author

James Madison, the 4th President of the United States, was born on March 16, 1751, and died on June 28, 1836. He was a key figure in drafting the U.S. Constitution and had a profound impact on the political system of the United States. more

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“I confess I am at a loss to discover what temptation the persons entrusted with the administration of the general government could ever feel to divest the States of the authorities of that description. The regulation of the mere domestic police of a State appears to me to hold out slender allurements to ambition.”

Feels Persons States Government Loss Authority Ambition Police Mere Temptation Administration Description Regulation Slender Federalism

Book:The Federalist, on the new constitution, written in 1788, with an appendix, containing the letters of Pacificus and Helvidius on the proclamation of neutrality of 1793, also the original articles of confederation and the constitution of the United States

Source: The Federalist, on the new constitution, written in 1788, with an appendix, containing the letters of Pacificus and Helvidius on the proclamation of neutrality of 1793, also the original articles of confederation and the constitution of the United States

“The administration of private justice between the citizens of the same state, the supervision of agriculture and of other concerns of a similar nature, all those things in short which are proper to be provided for by local legislation, can never be desirable cares of a general jurisdiction . . . the attempt to exercise these powers would be as troublesome as it would be nugatory; and the possession of them, for that reason, would contribute nothing to the dignity, to the importance, or to the splendour of the national government.”

“The variety of more minute interests, which will necessarily fall under the superintendence of the local administrations . . . cannot be particularized without involving a detail too tedious and uninteresting to compensate for the instruction it might afford.”

Might Fall Interest Minutes Details Locals Administration Variety Instruction Involving Tedious Federalism

Book:The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788

Source: The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788

“This is the moment when I should also admit that when the Internet first arrived I kept telling people it was a fad.”

People Should Firsts Moments Internet Fads

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“It may be laid down as a general rule, that their confidence in and obedience to a government, will be commonly proportioned to the goodness or badness of its administration . . . . Various reasons have been suggested in the course of these papers, to induce a probability that the general government will be better administered than the particular governments.”

May Has Beens Reason Government Courses Particular Goodness Paper Various Administration Obedience Probability Papers Badness Federalism

Book:The federalist papers

Source: The federalist papers

“The Convention probably foresaw what it has been a principal aim of these papers to inculcate that the danger which most threatens our political welfare is, that the state governments will finally sap the foundations of the Union.”

Has Beens States Government Political Danger Paper Aim Foundation Unions Welfare Conventions Principal Papers State Government Sap Federalism

Book:The federalist papers

Source: The federalist papers

“It will be well to advert to the proportion between the objects that will require a federal provision in respect to revenue; and those which will require a state provision. We shall discover that the former are altogether unlimited; and that the latter are circumscribed within very moderate bounds.”

Wells States Objects Bounds Former Proportion Latter Unlimited Revenue Moderates Provision Adverts Federalism

Book:The Federalist Papers: A Collection of Essays Written in Favour of the New Constitution

Source: The Federalist Papers: A Collection of Essays Written in Favour of the New Constitution

“Nothing can be more evident, than that an exclusive power of regulating elections for the National Government, in the hands of the State Legislatures, would leave the existence of the Union entirely at their mercy . . . . It is to little purpose to say that a neglect or omission of this kind [not letting the feds have elections], would be unlikely to take place. The constitutional possibility of the thing, without an equivalent for the risk, is an unanswerable objection.”

“The scheme of separate confederacies, which will always multiply the chances of ambition, will be a never failing bait to all such influential characters in the State administrations as are capable of preferring their own emolument and advancement to the public weal.”

States Character Chance Failing Ambition Capable Administration Schemes Advancement Influential Bait Federalism

Book:The Federalist: With Letters of Brutus

Source: The Federalist: With Letters of Brutus

“The power of the people pervading the proposed system, together with the strong confederation of the states, will form an adequate security against every danger that has been apprehended.”

People Has Beens States Together Form Strong Power Security Danger Usa Propositions Adequate Apprehension Federalism Confederation

Book:The Political Writings of John Dickinson, Esquire: Late President of the State of Delaware, and of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Source: The Political Writings of John Dickinson, Esquire: Late President of the State of Delaware, and of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania