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The excerpts below are from The Federalist, which was written by Alexander Hamilton,

James Madison, and John Jay to encourage ratification of the Constitution. Read the

excerpts and decide which basic principles are the subject of each excerpt. Then use a

separate sheet of paper to answer the Critical Thinking questions that follow.

Excerpt 1

“. . . we may define a republic to be, or at least may bestow that name on, a

government which derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body

of the people. . . . It is ESSENTIAL to such a government that it be derived from

the great body of the society, not from an inconsiderable proportion, or a favored

class of it. . . .”

—The Federalist No. 39

Basic Principle(s): __________________________________________________________

Excerpt 2

“The idea of a national government involves in it, not only an authority over the

individual citizens, but an indefinite supremacy over all persons and things. . . . In

this relation, then, the proposed government cannot be deemed a NATIONAL one;

since its jurisdiction extends to certain enumerated objects only, and leaves to the

several States a residuary and inviolable sovereignty over all other objects.”

—The Federalist No. 39

Basic Principle(s): __________________________________________________________

Excerpt 3

“TO WHAT expedient, then, shall we finally resort, for maintaining in practice the

necessary partition of power among the several departments, as laid down in the

Constitution? . . . the great security against a gradual concentration of the several

powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each

department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist

encroachments of the others.”

—The Federalist No. 51

Basic Principle(s): __________________________________________________________

Excerpt 4

“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the

great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the

governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”

—The Federalist No. 51

Basic Principle(s): __________________________________________________________

Excerpt 5

“In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered by the people is

first divided between two distinct governments, and then the portion allotted

to each subdivided among distinct and separate departments. Hence a double

security arises to the rights of the people. The different governments will control

each other, at the same time that each will be controlled by itself.”

—The Federalist No. 51

Basic Principle(s): __________________________________________________________

Excerpt 6

“. . . where the will of the legislature, declared in its statutes, stands in opposition

to that of the people, declared in the Constitution, the judges ought to be governed

by the latter rather than the former. They ought to regulate their decisions by the

fundamental laws, rather than by those which are not fundamental.”

—The Federalist No. 78

Basic Principle(s): __________________________________________________________

Critical Thinking

1. According to Excerpt 1, what is the definition of a republic?

2. According to Excerpt 2, why is the government outlined in the Constitution not merely

a national government?

3. According to Excerpt 4, the government must control the governed but also control

itself. Based on the other excerpts, briefly explain how the Constitution provides for

the government to control itself.