Federalist Papers Archives | Critical Skills!

Factions! We Need to Reread Federalist Paper #10 – The Union as a Safeguard against Domestic Faction and Insurrection – to Survive as a Nation!

In Federalist #10, The Union as a Safeguard against Domestic Faction and Insurrection, James Madison predicted the development of future hostilities between competing factions existing in the new United States of America. His conclusion was NOT that the causes that created the factions could be eliminated, but that the effects resulting from these factions could […]

by Charles C. Jett

The Power of the President to Grant Pardons

Regarding the power of the President to grant pardons – Hamilton argued that such power should be granted to a single executive (the President). This was not an easy position to argue – particularly since pardons were deemed appropriate for individuals who deserve mercy on humanitarian purposes. Such consideration does not seem to be the […]

by Charles C. Jett

The Founding Fathers Got This One Wrong!

The Founding Fathers created the congressional branch of government not only to create laws but to serve in a capacity of “check and balance” on the executive. They vested power in each part of the congressional branch – to balance the need for representation by population and the need to protect the minority. In designing […]

by Charles C. Jett

Alexander Hamilton and James Madison on the Right to Bear Arms (#29 & #46)

The debate is fierce with passions on both sides of the argument. If you have an opinion or want to engage in the debate, it might be wise to know what you’re talking about. Federalist papers #29 and #46 deal with the subject of the right to bear arms. Nowhere in the Federalist Papers do […]

by Charles C. Jett

Important Survival Information – Read and Share

This is just a short summary of an important part of James Madison’s essay #10 – on factions or groups with opposing points of view. (You can read all of essay #10 by clicking HERE.) Madison is precise in his explanation of factionalism, granting that conflicts of interests are inherent in human nature, and he […]