Critical Skills

Federalist #52 on the Dangers of a Tyrannical Legislature In Federalist Paper #52, James Madison makes a weak argument regarding the frequency of elections for members of the House of Representatives. And in the long run, the result seems to be the creation of a dysfunctional legislative body. Arguments for longer Member terms were that […]

In Federalist Paper #33, Concerning the General Power of Taxation, Hamilton defends the provisions of the new Constitution that gave the Federal government power to tax and proclaimed laws made under the authority of the United States as the supreme law of the land against opponents who claimed that these clauses granted too much power […]

In Federalist Essay #32, Alexander Hamilton argues for a balance of federal and state powers when it comes to levying taxes. He asserts that the Federal government should have the ability to tax all citizens in all states, while recognizing that individual states also have certain concurrent or exclusive powers related to taxation. This is […]

Have you ever wondered about the views of the Founding Fathers on taxation? In Federalist #31, Alexander Hamilton argues that the federal government has the right to impose taxes “in ordinary modes,” rather than taxing the states in aggregate capacity, with reference three principles. First, the government must have enough power and authority to carry […]