There was a problem with the confederation at the time. And why did they do that? > In support to, of. Which newspapers? > In New York newspapers? > In New York state. What were the Federalist Papers? What, why, what, we all hear about them in high school, but what were the Federalist Papers? > It was the collection of essays they wrote in the newspapers. So they wrote something called the Federalist Papers. And that's another story for a different course, but it's certainly worth knowing about. And, just a footnote to you before we dig into this is, they, they, though they worked together on, on this enterprise, they became the bitterest of enemies later. But really, it was the, the bulk of the work was done by Madison and Hamilton.

And then who is the gent on the right over there? > John J. And, he wrote the ones that have had enduring significance. But he was the principal, author of the, of the Federalist Papers, which we're going to in a, in a minute here. He spent most of his time as President fighting the war of 1812 against Britain, which was a, a rather absurd war which nobody won but consumed most of a, a big chunk of his Presidency. Was not thought to be a very successful President by the way. He was, he was, he was the president of, the fourth president of the United States. Yeah who is, who's in the middle there? > Madison? > Yeah, he, that's Madison. And including creating the, the first national bank. > No, he was a, but he was a, he had many roles in, in the American government. > And was actually accused by his critics of wanting to recreate the English Aristocracy. > Who is the first? Who's the one on the left who who looks quite aristocratic? Hamilton. Who, who, who do you think these people are? > The founding fathers? > The, okay, the founding fathers. To this end, we discuss a variety of concrete problems, including debates about economic inequality, affirmative action and the distribution of health care, the limits of state power in the regulation of speech and religion, and difficulties raised by the emerging threat of global environmental decay. In addition to exploring theoretical differences among the various authors discussed, considerable attention is devoted to the practical implications of their competing arguments. The last part of the course deals with the nature of, and justifications for, democratic politics, and their relations to Enlightenment and Anti-Enlightenment political thinking. Next, we turn to the rejection of Enlightenment political thinking, again exploring both classical and contemporary formulations.

In each case, we begin with a look at classical formulations, locating them in historical context, but then shift to the contemporary debates as they relate to politics today. We start with a survey of the major political theories of the Enlightenment: Utilitarianism, Marxism, and the social contract tradition. This course explores the main answers that have been given to this question in the modern West. When do governments deserve our allegiance, and when should they be denied it?

Who wrote the federalist papers