Paraphrases

Federalist No. 44 - Powers Given to the Federal Government paraphrased into modern English by James Madson, Jan 25, 1788 To: the People of the State of New York, A fifth category of provisions that gives authority to the federal government restricts some of the States' authority. They are: 1. 'No state is allowed to enter into any treaty or alliance with a foreign country. No state is allowed to give Letters of Marque and Reprisal, make their own money, write promissory notes in order to buy on credit, take anything but silver and gold in payment of debts, pass a Bill of Attainder or ex post facto law, or any law that breaks a contract, and they may not bestow any titles of nobility.' [ Article 1, Section 10 ] Prohibiting States from making treaties, alliances, and confederations is already part of the existing Articles of Confederation, and for obvious reasons, was also included in the new Constitution. The part prohibiting Letters of Marque and Reprisal was also...

The Federalist Number 37: The Challenge of Coming Up with a Balanced Government paraphrased into modern English by James Madison, Jan 11, 1788. To: the people of New York, When we looked at the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and realized that they could never be fixed unless we gave the government more power, we had to consider the principles of what more power might mean. Since the goal of these Federalist Papers is to demonstrate the benefits of the new Constitution clearly and thoroughly, and to explain the advantages of adopting it, our plan won't be complete until we closely consider the process of its creation, examine it from every angle, consider all of its parts, and estimate the likely effects it will have. In order to do this in a way that seems fair and just, we must indulge in a few reflections that have already been observed. It is a misfortune that can't be separated from the human condition that community proposals are rarely considered fr...