Freedom Papers

Madison’s Federalist Paper No. 40, "The Powers of the Convention to Form a Mixed Government Examined and Sustained," examines the authority of the Constitutional Convention and the expectations surrounding the United States Constitution. Morgan Zegers and Connor Clegg explain how the Constitution was just a piece of paper that didn’t mean anything until the states decided to ratify it. People were opposed to governmental revision due to their preexisting expectations and rules. Connor co...

Madison’s Federalist Paper No. 39, "The Conformity of the Plan to Republican Principles," defines a true republic, explains why the proposed Constitution is a republic, and discusses how the United States is both a national and a federal government. Morgan Zegers and Connor Clegg explain how a republic is a government of the people, where the citizens of the country hold the power. Throughout history, the term ‘republic’ has been skewed into either a type of oligarchy, where nobles and e...

Madison’s Federalist Paper No. 38, "The Same Subject Continued, and the Incoherence of the Objections to the New Plan Exposed," argues that despite the objections to the Constitution, it is still a much needed and huge improvement to the Articles of Confederation. Morgan Zegers and Connor Clegg explain how America’s form of government is unique. Throughout history, the different forms of government were generally a single person’s idea that an entire country adopted. The founders wanted ...

Madison’s Federalist Paper No. 37, "Concerning the Difficulties of the Convention in Devising a Proper Form of Government," examines the importance of setting aside differences to agree on a common form of government. Morgan Zegers and Connor Clegg explain how utopia is unachievable because men are not perfect. The Founding Fathers weren’t perfect; therefore, the Constitution isn’t perfect. It is, however, calling for a “more perfect Union” and for continual growth and strides towards th...

Hamilton’s Federalist Paper No. 36, "The Same Subject Continued: Concerning the General Power of Taxation," examines the importance of having a representative government in regards to taxation. Morgan Zegers and Connor Clegg explain that someone on the federal level would not be able to make decisions regarding taxation for Americans all over the country due to differing concerns throughout individual communities; therefore, a representative government voices the concerns and local issue...

Hamilton’s Federalist Paper No. 35, "The Same Subject Continued: Concerning the General Power of Taxation," examines equality and fairness at both the State and Federal level with regards to representation of the population in legislature and how that plays into taxation.Morgan Zegers and Connor Clegg explain how imperative it is that the Federal Government has the ability to tax in addition to the State in order to create a more equal and fair playing field across the Union. They also break ...

Hamilton’s Federalist Paper No. 34, "The Same Subject Continued: Concerning the General Power of Taxation," examines the concurrent authority vested in states and the federal government in regards to taxation. Morgan Zegers and Connor Clegg explain that the pinnacle of greatness is the separation of powers between the State and the Federal Government. Like the Roman Republic, the United States was to have individual state powers, some concurrent; however, they were never to infringe on e...

Hamilton’s Federalist Paper No. 33, "The Same Subject Continued: Concerning the General Power of Taxation," examines the Supremacy Clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause.Morgan Zegers and Connor Clegg explain that the Necessary and Proper Clause was never intended to create powers, but rather to execute the existing powers provided to the government in the constitution. The Supremacy Clause states that the laws of a society must be the supreme regulator of each state’s conduct; otherwise;...

Continuing the conversation with Federalist Paper No. 32, Morgan Zegers and Connor Clegg discuss state taxation power. Hamilton begins the paper by acknowledging the necessity for states to have the authority to tax citizens without federal infringement, except in the case of imports and exports. "The Same Subject Continued: Concerning the General Power of Taxation" is one of the most cited of the Federalist Papers by the Supreme Court because it was integral in determining the dividing ...

Morgan Zegers and Connor Clegg continue their conversation about taxation with Federalist Paper No. 31. In this paper, Hamilton approaches the subject more argumentatively, proving three reasons why taxes must be collected on a national level.Hamilton contends that funds are required for the government to fulfill its responsibilities to the people. Additionally, since future national threats cannot be predicted, the federal government’s power to defend the country cannot be limited. Lastly, t...