Federalist No. 47 (1788) is James Madison's reply to critics who said the proposed Constitution broke the rule that legislative, executive, and judicial power must be kept separate. Madison agrees that gathering all three powers into the same hands is the very definition of tyranny, but asks what the rule actually requires. Reading Montesquieu against the British Constitution he took as his model, Madison argues that the rule forbids only one department holding the whole power of another, not every overlap between them. He then surveys the state constitutions, showing that none keeps the departments completely apart, and concludes that the charge against the Constitution rests on a misreading of the principle.
Original summary for this showcase, informed by public sources including Wikipedia.
Read more: Federalist No. 47 on Wikipedia · Full text: Federalist No. 47 at Project Gutenberg
James Madison (1751–1836) was an American statesman, political theorist, and the fourth President of the United States. A principal architect of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, he earned the title "Father of the Constitution." With Alexander Hamilton and John Jay he wrote The Federalist, a series of essays defending the proposed Constitution to the people of New York. His thinking on faction, representation, and the separation of powers remains foundational to American constitutional theory.
Original summary for this showcase, informed by public sources including Wikipedia.
Read more: James Madison on Wikipedia
Federalist No. 47 (1788) is James Madison's reply to critics who said the proposed Constitution broke the rule that legislative, executive, and judicial power must be kept separate. Madison agrees that gathering all three powers into the same hands is the very definition of tyranny, but asks what the rule actually requires. Reading Montesquieu against the British Constitution he took as his model, Madison argues that the rule forbids only one department holding the whole power of another, not every overlap between them. He then surveys the state constitutions, showing that none keeps the departments completely apart, and concludes that the charge against the Constitution rests on a misreading of the principle.
Original summary for this showcase, informed by public sources including Wikipedia.
Read more: Federalist No. 47 on Wikipedia · Full text: Federalist No. 47 at Project Gutenberg