The Federalist Papers - Alexander Hamilton [322]
p. 50. The influence which thebigotry of one female, thepetulancies of another, and thecabals of a third, had in the contemporary policy…: The "bigotry of one female" refers to Françoise d’Aubigné (1635–1719), Marquise de Maintenon, the second wife of Louis XIV of France. She was selected initially as the governess of one of Louis’s sons (1670), but her influence over the king gradually increased, and she was secretly married to him in 1685. Her "bigotry" alludes to her tireless efforts to persuade Louis to persecute the French Protestants, known as Huguenots. The "petulancies of another" refers to Sarah Churchill née Jennings (1660–1744), Duchess of Marlborough. Brought up with the princess Anne, whose favor she long enjoyed, Jennings exercised a profound influence over her politically ambitious husband, John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough. After Anne became queen (1702), Sarah is said to have dominated both the household and the ministry. Her political influence ceased in 1711, when she was replaced as confidante by the Queen’s cousin, Mrs. Abigail Masham. "The cabals of a third" refers to Jeanne Antoinette Poisson (1721–1764), Marquise de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV of France. She was said to have inveigled Louis XV into the alliance with Austria that plunged France into the Seven Years War (1756–63).
p. 50. IfShayshad not been a desperate debtor…. Daniel Shays (1740–1825) was an officer of the Revolution who led the rebellion (1786) that bears his name. The rebels were financially beleaguered Massachusetts farmers who hoped to shut the courts in order to prevent action against debtors and to force the state legislature to lower taxes and to issue paper money. At the height of the rebellion, Shays and 1200 followers attempted to seize the federal arsenal at Springfield, but the rebels were poorly armed and finally defeated by the state militia. Although it caused little damage, Shays’s Rebellion helped to persuade the states that the Confederation was powerless to protect itself from violent insurrection, and that the preservation of law and order necessitated a more energetic national government.
p. 51. Spartawas little better than a well-regulated camp…: This ancient Greek city in the Peloponnesus was the capital of the territory of Laconia. Known for its legendary regimentation and military prowess, Sparta depended for its survival on state-owned slaves—the Helots—who outnumbered Spartan citizens by as much as ten to one. After defeating Athens in the Peloponnesian War (404 BC), Sparta briefly became the hegemonic power of Greece.
p. 51. andRomewas never sated of carnage and conquest: Although initially ruled by kings, in 509 BC the city expelled the last king and established a republic, which grew in the following centuries to include most of the Italian peninsula. Upon the defeat of Carthage (201 BC), Rome was unchallenged in the western Mediterranean, and within an additional fifty years the eastern Mediterranean also fell under Rome’s dominion. This spectacular territorial expansion placed inordinate strains on the old republican regime, which finally gave way, after 27 BC, to the Roman Empire. Imperial Rome continued to expand, eventually including most of present-day western Europe in addition to much territory in North Africa and the Middle East.
p. 51. Carthage,though a commercial republic, was the aggressor…: Carthage was an ancient city-state in North Africa, located near the site of modern Tunis. It was founded by Phoenicians in the mid-ninth