The Federalist Papers - Alexander Hamilton [341]
p. 253. They were introduced byCharles VII…: Charles VII (1403–1461) became king of France in 1422. When he acceded to the throne, the north of France was held by the English under Henry VI, a descendant of the Norman conqueror, William I. Henry also asserted a claim to the French throne, and in 1428 he invaded the south of France and laid siege to the city of Orleans. During the following year, French forces—inspired by Joan of Arc—raised the siege and turned the tide of the war. By gradually recapturing most of the territory lost to the English, Charles’s armies finally brought the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453) and English presence on the European continent to an end.
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p. 260. The…powers…to define and punish…offenses againstthe law of nations…: The law of nations is a body of law governing the interactions of sovereign states. According to Blackstone, the great English jurist of the eighteenth century, the law of nations is a body of rules "deducible by natural reason, and established by universal consent among the civilized inhabitants of the world." These rules are designed to resolve all disputes, and to insure "the observance of justice and good faith" in intercourse between independent states. In modern usage, the law of nations is more commonly referred to as "international law," a phrase that presupposes a definition of law in general as a command accompanied by a sanction, or the power to enforce obedience to a command. In the modern context, then, international law signifies only those rules enforceable by international bodies to which sovereign states may voluntarily apply for judgment.
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p. 275. probably meant as apalladiumto the residuary sovereignty of the States…: A palladium is something that affords protection or safety. The term derives from the statue of Pallas Athena upon the preservation of which was said to depend the city of Troy’s safety.
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pp. 278–279. Bills of attainder…are contrary to the first principles of the social compact…: A bill of attainder is a legislative act that punishes an individual without judicial trial. In American constitutional law, the term includes both the English bill of attainder, which entailed execution of the individual and confiscation of his property for treason or felony, and the bill of pains and penalties pertaining to lesser offenses. First passed by the English Parliament in 1459, bills of attainder were common during the Tudor and Stuart reigns, and even during the Revolutionary period state legislatures sometimes used them against suspected Tories. The U.S. Constitution flatly prohibits bills of attainder by Congress (Art. 1. sec. 9) or by the states (Art. 1, sec. 10).
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p. 298. whatHomerhas been to the didactic writers on epic poetry.: Homer was a Greek epic poet who may have lived during the ninth century BC. The Iliad, which recounts the siege of Troy by the Greeks, and the Odyssey, which follows the homeward voyage of Odysseus after the war, are conventionally attributed to this single author, about whom we know little. The epics, which played a crucial role in ancient Greek education, were composed for oral recitation by Homeridae (professional bards) who may have added to or modified the original material.
p. 299. on the address of the two Houses ofParliament…: Parliament is the British legislative assembly. Technically, Parliament consists of the king or queen, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. Although the House of Lords remains the highest court of the realm and its consent is required for all legislation, for all practical purposes, power today resides in the House of Commons. Parliament originated in the thirteenth century with the royal council, or Curia Regis, but almost from its origin, it was