The Federalist Papers and the United States Constitution, Take Two

Hey all,

For those who couldn't make the first presentation on the Federalist Papers, (and for those who loved it) I am pleased to announce that I will be delivering the presentation again on Saturday June 23rd at 3pm.

Event description: By 1787, it had become apparent that the country could not survive under the Articles of Confederation. There was no chief executive or judiciary, and the Continental Congress could not levy taxes or regulate commerce. The states and the federal government were deeply in debt. And Shays Rebellion in Massachusetts continued for a period of months before the state militia could suppress it. As a result, delegates from the thirteen original states convened in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 in order to revise the Articles of Confederation. Instead, this Constitutional Convention ended up replacing the Articles with the United States Constitution.

Before the Constitution could become law, however, it had to be ratified by the individual states. It was for this purpose that Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote the federalist papers, a series of 85 essays advocating for the ratification of the United States Constitution. They were published serially in several New York newspapers under the pseudonym “Publius” over a period of about nine months.

Although it is unclear how much effect these papers had on ratification, they are of incalculable value in understanding the thinking of our founders on the Constitution, from separation of powers and checks and balances to federalism and judicial review. These papers also discuss such timeless issues as the nature of self-government, the importance of Union, and the dangers of demagoguery, topics of particular importance today.

My presentation will discuss all of this and more! My overall objective is to use the federalist papers and the words of Hamilton, Madison, and Jay to help us understand our system of government and Constitution.

I will break up my presentation into three parts, each followed by q&a. I'm anticipating 45mins to 60mins of presentation time and about 60mins to 75mins of discussion.

I am doing this meetup in collaboration with the meetup "103 Great Ideas Conversations." https://www.meetup.com/The-103-Great-Ideas-Conversations run by Shrikant, which conducts conversations on a variety of philosophical ideas. Shrikant will be moderating our discussion.

I'm looking forward to this presentation and discussion. I hope to see many of you there on the 23rd of June!

Best,

Danny