Federalist No. 50

Federalist No. 50

James Madison, disputed author of Federalist No. 50
Author	James Madison or Alexander Hamilton
Original title	Periodic Appeals to the People Considered
Language	English
Series	The Federalist
Publisher	New York Packet
Publication date	February 5, 1788
Publication place	United States
Media type	Newspaper
Preceded by	Federalist No. 49
Followed by	Federalist No. 51

Federalist No. 50 is the fiftieth essay of The Federalist Papers. The authorship of the work is disputed between James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. It was first published in The New York Packet on February 5, 1788, under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. It is titled "Periodic Appeals to the People Considered".

Summary

Federalist No. 50 further examines the proper means of "PREVENTING AND CORRECTING INFRACTIONS OF THE CONSTITUTION." Whereas No. 49 refutes arguments for occasional appeals of the people, No. 50 argues against a second alternative: periodic appeals of the people, occurring with a higher frequency. With this latter system, the author claims, the judgement of people to remedy infringements on the constitution would be clouded by a passion and zeal rooted in its recency, ultimately leading to a failure to reach a solution. The author propounds an example from the Pennsylvania legislature, where legislators acting as intermediaries to enforce checks and balances, were biased and thus ineffective.

External links

• Text of The Federalist No. 50: congress.gov