Federalist 57 Paraphrased
Federalist No. 57 - Does the Proposed Constitution's System of Representation Elevate a Few at the Expense of Everyone Else? paraphrased into modern English by Alexander Hamilton, February 19, 1788 To: the People of the State of New York: The third criticism against the House of Representatives is that Representatives will come from the class of citizens that has the least in common with the majority of the people. That will make them more likely to sacrifice the rights of the people to elevate their own ambitions. Of all the criticisms that have been made against the proposed Constitution, this is probably the most surprising. The complaint is aimed at some supposed oligarchy [ elite ruling class ], but the essence of it attacks the very foundation of republican government itself. The goal of every political constitution should be, first of all, to place men in positions of leadership who have the wisdom for identifying, and the character for seeking out what'...