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Federalist 39 Summary

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When it comes to understanding the third political system that was introduced by James Madison (republican government), a mix between federal and national, we first have to look at what the foundation establishment is, where the sources get their powers, the operations of those powers, the extent of those powers; and who has the authority to make future changes. In Federalist 39, James Madison discussed the answers to those questions. He states, “in its foundation it is federal not national; in the sources in which the ordinary powers of the government are drawn, it is partly federal and partly national; in the operations of these power, it is national, not federal; in the extent of them again, it is federal, not national; and, finally in the authoritative mode of introducing amendments, it is neither wholly …show more content…

The sources of ordinary powers is “partly federal, partly national” because it holds just as many federal features as national features. For example, the House of Representatives derives its’ powers from the people of the nation, the Senate derives its’ powers from the states, “the executive power will be derived from a very compound source” (Madison, 69), the nomination of presidential candidates is from the states’ political figures; and the election of the president is made by the Congress, which is made up of national representatives. The operation of powers is national because the operation of the government is on the individuals. The extent of the powers is federal, “since its jurisdiction extends to certain enumerated objects only, and leaves to the several States a residuary and inviolable sovereignty over all other objects” (Madison, 69). The reason the authority to amendments made is “neither wholly federal nor wholly national” is because state votes are required which makes it federal, but since there is not a unanimous vote required it makes it

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