The Federalist Papers
Questions where Madison, Hamilton, and Jay's arguments for the Constitution are quoted.
15 questions · Read at the Library of Congress
- Voting Rights & ElectionsBetting on Elections: Prediction Markets and the MidtermsGambling on election outcomes: what the Quran, Torah, Gospels, and Buddhist teaching say about betting, and what the Constitution and federal law say about markets that price democracy.
- Democracy & Constitutional OrderMercy vs. Justice: Pardons for Political ViolenceReligious traditions across the world distinguish sharply between mercy (which requires acknowledgment, repentance, and protection of future victims) and…
- Democracy & Constitutional OrderPresidential Immunity and Accountability for LeadersReligious traditions across the world treat the notion of any human ruler above the law as the definition of tyranny.
- Democracy & Constitutional OrderPardons for Financial Fraud That Erase Victim RestitutionThe pardon power is broad by design, and mercy toward the guilty — including the use of clemency to correct harsh sentences — is something every religious…
- Democracy & Constitutional OrderHow to Measure Democratic BackslidingReligious traditions identified the markers of illegitimate authority thousands of years ago — concentration of power, suppression of truthful witness…
- Religion & JudgmentDoes Judging the 'Other Side' Besmirch Your Own Faith?Every major religious tradition commands its adherents to treat opponents — including enemies — with dignity.
- Gun Rights & ViolenceWhat 'Well Regulated Militia' Meant to the FoundersThe Founders explicitly wrote "well regulated" into the Second Amendment, and the historical record is clear that they meant organized, disciplined, and…
- Separation of Church & StateCan a Leader Claim Faith Belongs to One Party?No political leader has the authority to decide who is or isn't a person of faith — every major religion reserves that judgment for God alone.
- Tariffs & International TradeThe 2026 Trade War With CanadaA 50 percent tariff war with Canada, examined through scripture on neighbors and the Constitution's rule that Congress, not the president, holds the taxing power.
- Executive Power & Checks and BalancesPresidential Emergency Powers and OverreachThe Founders built separation of powers into the Constitution specifically to prevent any one person from accumulating unchecked authority.
- Executive Power & Checks and BalancesHow Religions Say to Treat Political OpponentsEvery major religion commands treating opponents with dignity — even enemies. The Constitution was built on the assumption that political opponents are…
- Executive Power & Checks and BalancesAdvice and Consent: Loyalty Questions at Confirmation HearingsHamilton named the purpose of Senate confirmation in Federalist No. 76 : a check against appointments made from "personal attachment." That is the exact…
- Cultural Institutions & Public MemoryRenaming Lake Ontario "Lake America"Erasing a 400-year-old Indigenous place name to punish a trading partner: what religious teachings and the founding framework say about names, memory, and grievance.
- Cultural Institutions & Public MemoryRenaming the USS Doris Miller for a Sitting PresidentReports that the Navy may rename the future USS Doris Miller for the sitting president, examined through scripture on honor and humility and the founders on personal glorification.
- Polarizing Ideologies & MovementsPopulism on the Left and the RightReligious traditions contain both populist impulses (Mary's Magnificat, the Hebrew prophets, zakat) and warnings about populism's dangers (the crowd that…