The Online Library of Liberty

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• Editors’ Introduction
• Reader’s Guide to the Federalist
• Preface to the Gideon Edition (1818)
• The Federalist
• No. 1: Introduction
• No. 2: Concerning Dangers From Foreign Force & Influence
• No. 3: The Same Subject Continued
• No. 4: The Same Subject Continued
• No. 5: The Same Subject Continued
• No. 6: Concerning Dangers From War Between the States
• No. 7: The Subject Continued, and Particular Causes Enumerated
• No. 8: The Effects of Internal War In Producing Standing Armies, and Other Institutions Unfriendly to Liberty
• No. 9: The Utility of the Union As a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection
• No. 10: The Same Subject Continued
• No. 11: The Utility of the Union In Respect to Commerce and a Navy
• No. 12: The Utility of the Union In Respect to Revenue
• No. 13: The Same Subject Continued, With a View to Economy
• No. 14: An Objection Drawn From the Extent of Country, Answered
• No. 15: Concerning the Defects of the Present Confederation, In Relation to the Principle of Legislation For the States In Their Collective Capacities
• No. 16: The Same Subject Continued, In Relation to the Same Principles
• No. 17: The Subject Continued, and Illustrated By Examples, to Show the Tendency of Federal Governments, Rather to Anarchy Among the Members, Than Tyranny In the Head
• No. 18 *: the Subject Continued, With Further Examples
• No. 19: The Subject Continued, With Further Examples
• No. 20: The Subject Continued, With Further Examples
• No. 21: Further Defects of the Present Constitution
• No. 22: The Same Subject Continued, and Concluded
• No. 23: The Necessity of a Government, At Least Equally Energetic With the One Proposed
• No. 24: The Subject Continued, With an Answer to an Objection Concerning Standing Armies
• No. 25: The Subject Continued, With the Same View
• No. 26: The Subject Continued With the Same View
• No. 27: The Subject Continued, With the Same View
• No. 28: The Same Subject Continued
• No. 29: Concerning the Militia
• No. 30: Concerning Taxation
• No. 31: The Same Subject Continued
• No. 32: The Same Subject Continued
• No. 33: The Same Subject Continued
• No. 34: The Same Subject Continued
• No. 35: The Same Subject Continued
• No. 36: The Same Subject Continued
• No. 37: Concerning the Difficulties Which the Convention Must Have Experienced In the Formation of a Proper Plan
• No. 38: The Subject Continued, and the Incoherence of the Objections to the Plan, Exposed
• No. 39: The Conformity of the Plan to Republican Principles: an Objection In Respect to the Powers of the Convention, Examined
• No. 40: The Same Objection Further Examined
• No. 41: General View of the Powers Proposed to Be Vested In the Union
• No. 42: The Same View Continued
• No. 43: The Same View Continued
• No. 44: The Same View Continued and Concluded
• No. 45: A Further Discussion of the Supposed Danger From the Powers of the Union, to the State Governments
• No. 46: The Subject of the Last Paper Resumed; With an Examination of the Comparative Means of Influence of the Federal and State Governments
• No. 47: The Meaning of the Maxim, Which Requires a Separation of the Departments of Power, Examined and Ascertained
• No. 48: The Same Subject Continued, With a View to the Means of Giving Efficacy In Practice to That Maxim
• No. 49: The Same Subject Continued, With the Same View
• No. 50: The Same Subject Continued, With the Same View
• No. 51: The Same Subject Continued, With the Same View, and Concluded
• No. 52: Concerning the House of Representatives, With a View to the Qualifications of the Electors and Elected, and the Time of Service of the Members
• No. 53: The Same Subject Continued, With a View of the Term of Service of the Members
• No. 54: The Same Subject Continued, With a View to the Ratio of Representation
• No. 55: The Same Subject Continued, In Relation to the Total Number of the Body
• No. 56: The Same Subject Continued, In Relation to the Same Point
• No. 57: The Same Subject Continued, In Relation to the Supposed Tendency of the Plan of the Convention to Elevate the Few Above the Many
• No. 58: The Same Subject Continued, In Relation to the Future Augmentation of the Members
• No. 59: Concerning the Regulation of Elections
• No. 60: The Same Subject Continued
• No. 61: The Same Subject Continued, and Concluded
• No. 62: Concerning the Constitution of the Senate, With Regard to the Qualifications of the Members; the Manner of Appointing Them; the Equality of Representation; the Number of the Senators, and the Duration of Their Appointments
• No. 63: A Further View of the Constitution of the Senate, In Regard to the Duration of the Appointment of Its Members
• No. 64: A Further View of the Constitution of the Senate, In Regard to the Power of Making Treaties
• No. 65: A Further View of the Constitution of the Senate, In Relation to Its Capacity, As a Court For the Trial of Impeachments
• No. 66: The Same Subject Continued
• No. 67: Concerning the Constitution of the President: a Gross Attempt to Misrepresent This Part of the Plan Detected
• No. 68: The View of the Constitution of the President Continued, In Relation to the Mode of Appointment
• No. 69: The Same View Continued, With a Comparison Between the President and the King of Great Britain, On the One Hand, and the Governor of New York, On the Other
• No. 70: The Same View Continued, In Relation to the Unity of the Executive, and With an Examination of the Project of an Executive Council
• No. 71: The Same View Continued, In Regard to the Duration of the Office
• No. 72: The Same View Continued, In Regard to the Re-eligibility of the President
• No. 73: The Same View Continued, In Relation to the Provision Concerning Support, and the Power of the Negative
• No. 74: The Same View Continued, In Relation to the Command of the National Forces, and the Power of Pardoning
• No. 75: The Same View Continued, In Relation to the Power of Making Treaties
• No. 76: The Same View Continued, In Relation to the Appointment of the Officers of the Government
• No. 77: The View of the Constitution of the President Concluded, With a Further Consideration of the Power of Appointment, and a Concise Examination of His Remaining Powers
• No. 78: A View of the Constitution of the Judicial Department In Relation to the Tenure of Good Behaviour
• No. 79: A Further View of the Judicial Department, In Relation to the Provisions For the Support and Responsibility of the Judges
• No. 80: A Further View of the Judicial Department, In Relation to the Extent of Its Powers
• No. 81: A Further View of the Judicial Department, In Relation to the Distribution of Its Authority
• No. 82: A Further View of the Judicial Department, In Reference to Some Miscellaneous Questions
• No. 83: A Further View of the Judicial Department, In Relation to the Trial By Jury
• No. 84: Concerning Several Miscellaneous Objections
• No. 85: Conclusion
• Glossary
• Appendixes
• Appendix 1: The Declaration of Independence * In Congress, July 4, 1776
• Appendix 2: Articles of Confederation * March 1, 1781
• Appendix 3: Virginia Resolution Proposing the Annapolis Convention * January 21, 1786
• Appendix 4: Proceedings of the Annapolis Convention *
• Appendix 5: Virginia Resolution Providing For Delegates to the Federal Convention of 1787 * November 23, 1786
• Appendix 6: Call By the Continental Congress For the Federal Convention of 1787 * Wednesday Feby. 21, 1787
• Appendix 7: Resolution of the Federal Convention Submitting the Constitution to the Continental Congress * In Convention Monday September 17th 1787
• Appendix 8: Washington’s Letter of Transmittal to the President of the Continental Congress * In Convention, September 17, 1787
• Appendix 9: Resolution of the Continental Congress Submitting the Constitution to the Several States * Friday Sept 28. 1787
• Appendix 10: Letter of the Secretary of the Continental Congress Transmitting Copy of the Constitution to the Several Governors *
• The Constitution of the United States (cross-referenced With the Federalist ) *
• The Amendments

APPENDIX 6

Call by the Continental Congress for the Federal Convention of 1787*

Wednesday Feby. 21, 1787

The report of a grand comee. consisting of Mr. Dane Mr. Varnum Mr. S. M. Mitchell Mr. Smith Mr. Cadwallader Mr. Irwine Mr. N. Mitchell Mr. Forrest Mr. Grayson Mr. Blount Mr. Bull & Mr. Few, to whom was referred a letter of 14 Septr. 1786 from J. Dickinson written at the request of Commissioners from the States of Virginia Delaware Pensylvania New Jersey & New York assembled at the City of Annapolis together with a copy of the report of the said commissioners to the legislatures of the States by whom they were appointed, being an order of the day was called up & which is contained in the following resolution viz

“Congress having had under consideration the letter of John Dickinson esqr. chairman of the Commissioners who assembled at Annapolis during the last year also the proceedings of the said commissioners and entirely coinciding with them as to the inefficiency of the federal government and the necessity of devising such farther provisions as shall render the same adequate to the exigencies of the Union do strongly recommend to the different legislatures to send forward delegates to meet the proposed convention on the second Monday in May next at the city of Philadelphia.”

. . .

A motion was then made by the delegates for Massachusetts to postpone the farther consideration of the report in order to take into consideration a motion which they read in their place, this being agreed to, the motion of the delegates for Massachusetts was taken up and being amended was agreed to as follows

Whereas there is provision in the Articles of Confederation & perpetual Union for making alterations therein by the assent of a Congress of the United States and of the legislatures of the several States; And whereas experience hath evinced that there are defects in the present Confederation, as a mean to remedy which several of the States and particularly the State of New York by express instructions to their delegates in Congress have suggested a convention for the purposes expressed in the following resolution and such convention appearing to be the most probable mean of establishing in these states a firm national government.

Resolved that in the opinion of Congress it is expedient that on the second Monday in May next a Convention of delegates who shall have been appointed by the several states be held at Philadelphia for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation and reporting to Congress and the several legislatures such alterations and provisions therein as shall when agreed to in Congress and confirmed by the states render the federal constitution adequate to the exigencies of Government & the preservation of the Union.

[* ]Source: Charles C. Tansill, ed., Documents Illustrative of the Formation of the Union of the American States (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1927), 44–46.