Commentary

[in chronological order]

As Far as Republican Principles Will Admit: Essays by Martin Diamond

- Diamond, Martin. As Far as Republican Principles Will Admit: Essays by Martin Diamond, ed. William Schambra. Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1992.
Essays by one of the preeminent theorists of the American Founding. Of particular interest to students of the Federalist are essays entitled, “Ethics and Politics: the American Way,” “Democracy and the Federalist: A Reconsideration of the… More

James Madison and the Spirit of Republican Self-Government

- Sheehan, Colleen A. James Madison and the Spirit of Republican Self-Government. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
In the first study that combines an in-depth examination of Madison’s National Gazette essays of 1791-92 with a study of The Federalist, Colleen Sheehan traces the evolution of Madison’s conception of the politics of communication and public… More

The Federalist Papers: A Commentary: “the Baton Rouge Lectures”

- Allen, W. B., and Kevin A. Cloonan. The Federalist Papers: A Commentary: "the Baton Rouge Lectures". New York: P. Lang, 2000.
This book tells the story of The Federalist Papers as an accessible approach to the principles of the United States government. When looking at The Federalist Papers or the documents of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, one realizes that the writers of… More

The Noblest Minds

- McNamara, Peter. The Noblest Minds: Fame, Honor, and the American Founding. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1999.
Ever since Douglass Adair convincingly demonstrated that a love of fame was central to the American founding, political scientists and historians have started to view the founders and their acts in a new light. In The Noblest Minds, ten distinguished scholars… More

The Natural Rights Republic: Studies in the Foundation of the American Political Tradition

- Zuckert, Michael P. The Natural Rights Republic: Studies in the Foundation of the American Political Tradition. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1996.
In The Natural Rights Republic, political theorist Michael Zuckert counters contemporary confusion by offering an insightful study of the concept that dominated the mindset of the founding generation, the natural rights philosophy. Zuckert offers a new… More

Toward a More Perfect Union: Writings of Herbert Storing

- Storing, Herbert. Toward a More Perfect Union, ed. Joseph M. Bessette. Washington, DC: AEI Press, 1995.
In this definitive collection, the writings of Herbert J. Storing have been assembled into six categories: the Founding Fathers and their legacy; race relations in America; rights and the public interest; bureaucracy and big government; statesmanship and the… More

Taming the Prince: The Ambivalence of Modern Executive Power

- Mansfield, Harvey Claflin. Taming the Prince: The Ambivalence of Modern Executive Power. New York: Free Press, 1989
This survey of Western political thought ranges from Aristotle to “The Federalist Papers”, showing how the doctrine of executive power arose and how it has developed to the present day. Although there were various “proto-executives”,… More

Liberal Democracy and Political Science

- Ceaser, James W. Liberal Democracy and Political Science. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990.
Do political scientists in a liberal democracy bear a special responsibility that goes beyond their academic pursuits? Ceaser, a scholar of American political parties, argues that they do, and he challenges colleagues and students to reexamine what they do as… More

The Federalist

- Diamond, Martin.  "The Federalist."  History of Political Philosophy (Third Edition).  Edited by Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey.  University of Chicago Press, 1987.
Excerpt: Publius is aware that his scheme involves an enormous reliance on the ceaseless striving after immediate private gains; the commercial life must be made honorable and universally practiced.  Publius counts on a portion of patriotism and wisdom in… More

The Federalist

- Yarbrough, Jean. "The Federalist." This Constitution: A Bicentennial Chronicle 16 (1987): 4-9.

Saving the Revolution edited by Charles Kesler

- Kesler, Charles, editor. Saving the Revolution: The Federalist Papers and the American Founding. New York: Free Press, 1987.
A group of preeminent political and constitutional scholars, including Edward Banfield and William Kristol, offer fresh perspectives on The Federalist Papers’ ideals, arguments, and enduring effects on American political life.

The Moral Foundations of the American Republic

- Horwitz, Robert H. The Moral Foundations of the American Republic. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1986.
A collection of stimulating and groundbreaking essays from the following contributors: Joseph Cropsey * Benjamin R. Barber * Richard Hofstadter * Martin Diamond * Gordon S. Wood * Robert A. Goldwin * Wilson Carey McWilliams * Robert A. Dahl * James Ceaser *… More

The Political Theory of the Federalist

- Epstein, David F., The Political Theory of the Federalist. Chicago: U of Chicago Press, 1984.
In The Political Theory of  “The Federalist,” David F. Epstein offers a guide to the fundamental principles of American government as they were understood by the framers of the Constitution. Epstein here demonstrates the remarkable depth and clarity… More

The Founding of the Democratic Republic

- Diamond, Martin. The Founding of the Democratic Republic. Itasca, Ill: F.E. Peacock Publishers, 1981.
A reprint of four chapters by Martin Diamond from THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC (Diamond, Garfinkel, and Fisk), this book provides a more complete view of our political foundations than can be found in contemporary American government textbooks.

What the Anti-Federalists Were For

- Storing, Herbert. What the Anti-Federalist Were For, ed. Murray Dry. Chicago: U of Chicago Press, 1981.
The Anti-Federalists, in Herbert J. Storing’s view, are somewhat paradoxically entitled to be counted among the Founding Fathers and to share in the honor and study devoted to the founding. “If the foundations of the American polity was laid by… More

Presidential Selection: Theory and Development

- Ceaser, James W. Presidential Selection: Theory and Development. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1979.
Examining the development of the process of presidential selection from the founding of the republic to the present day, James Ceaser contends that many of the major purposes of the selection system as it was formerly understood have been ignored by current… More

Fame and the Founding Fathers: Essays

- Adair, Douglass. Fame and the Founding Fathers: Essays. New York: Published for the Institute of Early American History and Culture at Williamsburg, Va., by Norton, 1974.

The Creation of the American Republic by Gordon Wood

- Wood, Gordon S. The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787. Chapel Hill: Published for the Institute of Early American History and Culture at Williamsburg, Va., by the University of North Carolina Press, 1969.

The Birth of the Republic, 1763-89

- Morgan, Edmund S. The Birth of the Republic, 1763-89. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1956.
In The Birth of the Republic, 1763–89, Edmund S. Morgan shows how the challenge of British taxation started Americans on a search for constitutional principles to protect their freedom, and eventually led to the Revolution. By demonstrating that the… More

Seedtime of the Republic: The Origin of the American Tradition of Political Liberty

- Rossiter, Clinton. Seedtime of the Republic: The Origin of the American Tradition of Political Liberty. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1953.
Table of Contents: 1. Colonial Government and the Rise of Liberty, 2. Colonial Religion and the Rise of Liberty, 3. The Colonial Economy and the Rise of Liberty, 4. Colonial Society and the Rise of Liberty, 5. The Colonial Mind and the Rise of Liberty, 6.… More

The Tenth Federalist Revisited

- Adair, Douglass. “The Tenth Federalist Revisited.” The William and Mary Quarterly 8, no. 1 (January 1, 1951): 48–67.