This paper examines contemporary American politics through the lens of The Federalist Papers, focusing on two specific issues: factionalism as addressed in Federalist Papers 9-10 and taxation, the subject of Federalist Papers 30-36.

James Madison wrote four accounts of faction, the most public and famous of which was Federalist 10. By examining all four accounts, I undertake to develop a more capacious understanding of the design and purpose of Madison’s vision for American constitutional politics than can be extracted from an examination of Federalist 10 alone. I attempt to collate the unique insights of each account of faction into a coherent unity, with special attention to Madison’s rhetoric. I conclude that the three least famous accounts of faction, correctly read, perfect and extend the account in Federalist 10 by offering a more candid window into Madison’s thought on human beings and the political life for which he thought them fit. / text

When observing the values which repeatedly appear in early American literature, we encounter ideas such as liberty, freedom, or the importance of the individual, but while property and ownership are often also core ideas and motivations for many Americans, their appearance is much more limited and excluded from certain contexts. However, property was always a key issue and economic profitability was always considered as foremost both on political and individual level. This can be seen all throughout American history since its beginning until the present, yet there is the curious trend of downplaying the importance of property in politically oriented text. While no one questioned its value in the past, Americans outwardly replaced property with liberty. Nevertheless, its importance cannot be hidden so easily and through careful examination it is shown as being understood as a pre-requisite of freedom and security, even as it is never the central focus of any major early American political text. This thesis explores the concept of property in the context of early American political writing in the area between eighteenth and nineteenth century; drawing from texts such as the Declaration of Independence, The Federalist, The Anti-Federalist Papers, Common Sense and other contemporary political pamphlets...

This essay examines the possibility to use the Federalist Papers as authentic classroom material for English 7 within Sweden’s upper secondary school. To do this, three close readings have been done of the first, tenth and fifty-first essay amongst the Federalist Papers. Although the material is quite advanced, this essay found that these essays should be considered when choosing material for English 7 as they are challenging but have a lot of opportunity for learning, especially regarding rhetoric. Like most material in a classroom, one must compare the possible material’s compatibility with the class being taught. However, the Federalist Papers fulfills many of the requirements for course content within the Swedish curriculum for upper secondary school as well as the course plan for specifically English 7. This is because the material regards existential questions and is both historical and political which makes it aligned with the course plan. Likewise, many of the issues covered in these essays regard questions on democratization and human nature in relation to government, which makes the Federalist Papers a good candidate for school material.  The main points of interest for the learners when it comes to English skills to be gained from working with the Federalist Papers are the rhetorical devices,particularly ethos and pathos, that can be observed within the essays. Learners would understand how analogies and metaphors can be used to make an audience feel in a certain way, resulting in a more efficient use of language, while also learning how certain words can indicate an adversarial stance towards opposing ideas.