"A vigorous national government": Hamilton on Security, War, and Revenue

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Alexander Hamilton’s essays in The Federalist on the need for an energetic central government have long stood in the shadow of James Madison’s essays on interest-group conflicts, the structure of government, the perils of majority rule, and the protection of minority rights. This privileging of Madison over Hamilton in the interpretation of both The Federalist and, by extension, the founding began more than a century ago, when Charles Beard presented Federalist 10 as the essence of Federalist political philosophy. In his Economic Interpretation of the Constitution, Beard even claimed that his own view of the Constitution as the outcome of clashing economic interest groups, ultimately rooted in “the various and unequal distribution of property,” was “based upon the political science of James Madison.” The central thrust of Madison’s intervention, The Federalist, and the Constitution, Beard said, was to promote material gain by providing greater safeguards for private property rights.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Cambridge Companion to The Federalist
EditorsJack N. Rakove, Colleen A. Sheehan
Place of PublicationCambridge
PublisherCambridge University Press
Chapter3
Pages82-113
Number of pages31
Edition1
ISBN (Electronic)9781316479865
ISBN (Print)9781107136397, 9781316501849
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2020

Publication series

NameCambridge Companions to Philosophy

Keywords

  • Politics and government
  • United States
  • Political theory

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of '"A vigorous national government": Hamilton on Security, War, and Revenue'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this