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THOMAS JEFFERSON HOSTED JAMES MADISON and Alexander Hamilton one evening in 1790. The dinner was an occasion for dealmaking. In exchange for siting the nation’s capital along the Potomac River, the Southern states would pay the Revolutionary War debts of the Northeast colonies. The Residence Act was approved by the Senate and House in July. Jeffers
... See moreImani Perry • South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation
Thomas Jefferson, in his first inaugural address, articulated one of the clearest assertions about “good government” consistent with the spirit of the Declaration.
“…a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall n
... See moreof policy, utility or justice? Have republics in practice been less addicted to war than monarchies? Are not the former administered by men as well as the latter? Are there not aversions, predilections, rivalships, and desires of unjust acquisitions, that affect nations as well as kings? Are not popular assemblies frequently subject to the impulses
... See moreJohn Jay • The Federalist Papers (AmazonClassics Edition)
But if the Supreme Court is ever composed of imprudent men or bad citizens, the Union may be plunged into anarchy or civil war.
Alexis de Tocqueville • Democracy in America, Volume I and II (Optimized for Kindle)
Because the entire Virginia delegation arrived on time, its members developed a powerful early cohesion. Headed by Governor Edmund Randolph, the distinguished group included Madison and George Mason; the latter informed his son that the hardworking Virginians met “two or three hours every day in order to form a proper correspondence of sentiments.”
... See moreRon Chernow • Washington
Low Countries,
Jean Edward Smith • FDR
Has it not, on the contrary, invariably been found that momentary passions, and immediate interest, have a more active and imperious control over human conduct than general or remote considerations
John Jay • The Federalist Papers (AmazonClassics Edition)
He could watch the Governor twist arms, offer incentives and drop, one by one, with matchless guile, the veils from in front of threats.