The Federalist Papers - Alexander Hamilton [340]
p. 228. which, he alleged, had been prepared byServius Tullius: Servius Tullius (possibly 578–535 BC): Sixth king of Rome. Purportedly murdered by Tarquinius Superbus, the tyrannical king whose later expulsion from Rome and death mark the establishment of the republic, he is credited with the political organization of the centuries, the territorial organization of the tribes, and the initiation of the census.
p. 228. The Achaean league received its first birth fromAchaeus…: Achaeus was a figure of ancient Greek legend, eponym of the Achaeans, and reputed founder of the Achaean League. See the notes to Federalist 16.
p. 230. And if we except the observations whichNew Jerseywas led to make: In 1778, New Jersey delegates to the Continental Congress introduced a series of reservations against the Articles of Confederation, proposing, for example, that Congress should possess the exclusive power to regulate the international commerce of the United States.
p. 230. One State, we may remember, persisted for several years in refusing: The state Publius alludes to is Maryland, which withheld its ratification of the Articles of Confederation until March 1, 1781.
p. 234. they can emitbills of creditas long as they will pay for the paper…: A bill of credit is a promissory note issued by a government on its own credit. The threat of numerous state currencies, constantly fluctuating in relative value, induced the Framers of the Constitution to deprive the states of the power to issue such "paper money."
Federalist 40
p. 243. the recommendation fromthe meeting at Annapolis…: Also known as the Annapolis Convention, this was a meeting in September of 1786 called by Virginia for the purpose of discussing taxes, trade, and other issues respecting commerce under the Articles of Confederation. Only five states were represented (New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia), and the meeting adjourned upon agreement to gather in Philadelphia the following year. Alexander Hamilton drafted the convention’s address to the states, calling upon them to send delegates authorized to discuss not only commercial matters but all matters necessary "to render the constitution of the Federal Government adequate to the exigencies of the Union." In February 1787, Congress cautiously endorsed the call to revise the Articles.
p. 247. subjecting the fate of twelve States to the perverseness or corruption ofa thirteenth: Publius refers to Rhode Island, the single state that had refused to send delegates to the Philadelphia Convention.
p. 249. the transcendent and precious right of the people to "abolish or alter their governments…": Publius here refers to a proposition from the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence that actually reads as follows:
…that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
p. 251. but required as theconfidentialservants of their country: Here, and in Federalist Nos. 49 (p. 313) and 65(p. 396), "confidential" means (vide the Oxford English Dictionary, definition 4) "enjoying the confidence" of other persons, "entrusted with secrets," confided with "secret service," and hence trusty and trustworthy.
Federalist 41
p. 252. The powers…of declaring war and grantingletters of marque…: Letters of marque are documents issued by a sovereign