Join Justin and Cary as they informally discuss each of the 85 Federalist Papers by ripping away the complex language to Monday morning quarterback Hamilton, Madison, and Jay. A podcast for American history buffs and armchair constitutional scholars. New episodes released every other Sunday.
Episodes
Monday May 29, 2017
Federalist No. 6: Hamilton Tries to Make Our Heads Explode!
Monday May 29, 2017
Monday May 29, 2017
Justin and Cary welcome Hamilton back to the debate. Hamilton returns with a litany of historical references, and at times seems annoyed with having to spell things out for the Anti-Federalists. The guys break through the references to Hamilton’s basic arguments that individuals can cause nation states to have conflict with each other, and that the Anti-federalists are wrong to assume commercial republics are immune from war. But has history proven the Anti-Federalists right? Or at least more correct than Hamilton would have you believe? Justin and Cary analyze whether Hamilton’s references are effective. In the end, Justin critiques Hamilton’s debate style, and Cary concludes by congratulating Hamilton for overwhelmingly debunking the Anti-Federalists’ weakest argument.
Monday May 15, 2017
Federalist No. 5: Populism, Time Travel, and The Bad-Man
Monday May 15, 2017
Monday May 15, 2017
In this episode, John Jay walks right into the Anti-Federalists’ critique after once again overselling a historical reference. This time it’s the Scottish union to England. The Anti-Federalists respond on behalf of the proverbial “common man”. Can Jay handle their populist arguments? Jay warns of America’s decent into another version of Europe, and argues how the powers of Europe at the time would have preferred a fractured America. He believes the Articles of Confederation sets America up for failure, while the Anti-Federalists claim “user error”. The Anti-Federalists focus on diffusing power back to the people. Cary points out that if Jay had time travel, he could have borrowed Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes’ Bad-Man Theory to shut the Anti-Federalists down. In the end, Jay earns a well deserved respite from Justin and Cary’s continuous attacks.
Monday May 01, 2017
Federalist No. 4: A Zero-Sum Game - TPF 04
Monday May 01, 2017
Monday May 01, 2017
Contrary to modern economic theory, in Jay’s mind, international markets are a zero-sum game. There are winners, and there are losers. Although Jay attempts to focus on economic concerns in No. 4, he just can’t help but return to his foreign policy arguments. He pays the price as Cary calls him out for rehashing his earlier points. Cary dives into Jay’s reference to “just causes of war” by explaining Thomas Aquinas’ three factor test. The focus shifts to foreign trade, debt, and the critical role of America’s codfish industry. As Cary aptly points out, there were not may W-2s issued at the time. Who knew the codfish helped to secure our nation?