During times of political uncertainty, I turn to classic writings about politics, particularly the Federalist papers. As citizens of both parties lose trust in America’s institutions, it is appropriate to go back to the original debates about how the national government was designed to work.

The Framers were political realists who were extremely wary of the misuse of governmental power and the dangers of majority rule. Although they recognized that democracies historically proved unstable, they believed that humans could use reason to set up structures that would constrain the worst instincts of rulers and ruled.

In publishing articles during the debate over ratification, Madison, Hamilton, and Jay attempted to persuade skeptics to approve the Constitution and to answer its critics. The Federalist papers thus contained more than a philosophy of government; they also served as rationalizations for provisions that today look quite cynical, such as protections for slavery and advocacy for institutions that had never been imagined before—federalism, a president, an independent Supreme Court. We will read the writings of Madison, Hamilton, and Jay, therefore, not as “sacred texts” but as but as examples of shrewd political analysis and persuasion.

This course will consist of lectures and discussions.

This is a 5-session course (10 hours total).