In Federalist Paper #23, The Necessity of a Government as Energetic as the One Proposed to the Preservation of the Union, Alexander Hamilton argues for the “necessity of a Constitution, at least equally energetic with the one proposed, to the preservation of the Union.”
Hamilton doesn’t waste time with generalities, and outlines three main points:
- What the Federal Government should provide;
- The common defense of the members,
- The preservation of public peace,
- The regulation of commerce, and the conducting of foreign affairs.
- The amount of power necessary to carry out their positions;
- The government must have the power to “pass all laws and make all regulation” which pertain to the common safety of the union.
- Who in the government should do this.
- Hamilton does not dig into details on this issue – rather, he defers this until later essays.
Credit for the summary and analysis is given to Brittany Nelson and Christopher Higgins (second revision 09/15/2011). Weinbloom, Elizabeth ed. “The Federalist Papers Essay 23 Summary and Analysis”. GradeSaver, 30 December 2011 Web. 24 January 2019.