The Federalist Papers · Chapter
XLIII: The Same Subject Continued (The Powers Conferred by the Constitution Further Considered) explained
This chapter continues the examination of specific powers granted by the Constitution, focusing on the ratification process, the guarantee of republican government, the admission of new states, the validity of debts, and the amendment proce
What happens
This chapter continues the examination of specific powers granted by the Constitution, focusing on the ratification process, the guarantee of republican government, the admission of new states, the validity of debts, and the amendment process. It justifies the nine-state ratification threshold as a necessity for self-preservation, addresses the moral and political relations between ratifying and non-ratifying states, and defends provisions against domestic violence and foreign influence.
Themes in this chapter
Federalism and the Necessity of Union
Discusses the necessity of a strong union to supersede the Confederation and the moral obligations between ratifying and non-ratifying states.
Republican Government and Representation
Defends the guarantee of a republican form of government to each state and the prevention of aristocratic or monarchical innovations.
Constitutional Interpretation and Authority
Examines the authority of the people to ratify the Constitution and the principles governing amendments and the validity of debts.
Control of Faction and Majority Tyranny
Addresses the danger of domestic violence and insurrection, and the role of the federal government in quelling such threats.
Characters to notice
- Publius
The authorial voice presenting the argument for the Constitution's provisions.
- Montesquieu
Cited for his insights on confederate republics and the dangers of dissimilar governments.
- Congress
Mentioned in the context of admitting new states and the assumption of power under the Articles of Confederation.
- The Senate
Referenced regarding the exception for equal suffrage as a safeguard for state sovereignty.
Key passages
“The express authority of the people alone could give due validity to the Constitution.”
Only the direct consent of the people can legitimately establish the Constitution.
Emphasizes popular sovereignty as the foundation of constitutional legitimacy.
“To have required the unanimous ratification of the thirteen states, would have subjected the essential interests of the whole to the caprice or corruption of a single member.”
Requiring all thirteen states to agree would have allowed one state's whim or dishonesty to endanger the entire nation's welfare.
Justifies the nine-state ratification threshold as a practical necessity.
“The safety and happiness of society are the objects at which all political institutions aim, and to which all such institutions must be sacrificed.”
The ultimate goal of any government is the security and well-being of the community, and all political structures must be subordinate to that end.
Appeals to the law of nature and self-preservation to justify superseding the Confederation.
“It guards equally against that extreme facility, which would render the Constitution too mutable; and that extreme difficulty, which might perpetuate its discovered faults.”
The amendment process is designed to avoid making the Constitution too easy to change, which would make it unstable, or too hard to change, which would lock in errors.
Describes the balanced approach to constitutional amendments.
