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Books That Matter: The Federalist Papers
It would be difficult to overstate the influence of The Federalist Papers. Despite their lack of official or legal status, these 85 brilliant essays have served as the single most important guide to the interpretation and application of the US Constitution for more than 230 years. Authored by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, The Federalist Papers offer a detailed blueprint for building a successful democratic republic.
Books That Matter: The Federalist Papers gives you the chance to delve into this magisterial blueprint for yourself. Taught by acclaimed professor and legal scholar Joseph L. Hoffmann of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, these 12 thought-provoking lectures take you back to the hot summer weather of Philadelphia in 1787, when the delegates from the several states gathered to revise the Articles of Confederation.
As you will learn, the Framers were rightly concerned about whether the 13 largely autonomous states would accept a strong centralized federal government and whether such a system could include safeguards to protect against the tyranny they’d just fought a war to overcome. To answer these concerns, the authors laid out a bold vision for the new nation, drafting what became essentially the Bible of American government - perhaps America’s most significant contribution to the way that human beings choose to organize their lives, and their societies, in order to fulfill their hopes and pursue their dreams together.
Books That Matter: The Federalist Papers gives you the chance to delve into this magisterial blueprint for yourself. Taught by acclaimed professor and legal scholar Joseph L. Hoffmann of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, these 12 thought-provoking lectures take you back to the hot summer weather of Philadelphia in 1787, when the delegates from the several states gathered to revise the Articles of Confederation.
As you will learn, the Framers were rightly concerned about whether the 13 largely autonomous states would accept a strong centralized federal government and whether such a system could include safeguards to protect against the tyranny they’d just fought a war to overcome. To answer these concerns, the authors laid out a bold vision for the new nation, drafting what became essentially the Bible of American government - perhaps America’s most significant contribution to the way that human beings choose to organize their lives, and their societies, in order to fulfill their hopes and pursue their dreams together.
7 pages, Audiobook
Published June 19, 2020
13 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 24, 2022
I have one more section of this series to tackle, but know my response to that isn't going to change my opinion of the whole package.
Hoffman provides a good medium-level dive into The Federalist Papers. He's a little Madison-heavy in his leanings, IMO, and I would like to have seen more time devoted to the papers discussing checks and balances among the branches. I appreciate that Hoffman frequently brings up sections that stress the responsibilities of freedoms and governance instead of just focusing on rights as if they are all that matters.
Maybe we, the voters, should lock the House and Senate members into their chambers and force them to watch this until their greedy, party-line worshipping, cliquish little brains start to comprehend some of it. (Maybe Clockwork Orange style for some of the more, shall we say, calcified ones?) I doubt it would have any effect on the Executive Branch inhabitant since it contains words of more than one syllable (sad!) and concepts more complex than "shiny!" or "me want."
Hoffman provides a good medium-level dive into The Federalist Papers. He's a little Madison-heavy in his leanings, IMO, and I would like to have seen more time devoted to the papers discussing checks and balances among the branches. I appreciate that Hoffman frequently brings up sections that stress the responsibilities of freedoms and governance instead of just focusing on rights as if they are all that matters.
Maybe we, the voters, should lock the House and Senate members into their chambers and force them to watch this until their greedy, party-line worshipping, cliquish little brains start to comprehend some of it. (Maybe Clockwork Orange style for some of the more, shall we say, calcified ones?) I doubt it would have any effect on the Executive Branch inhabitant since it contains words of more than one syllable (sad!) and concepts more complex than "shiny!" or "me want."
April 25, 2022
Simply an exquisite explanation of The Federalist Papers and their critical role in constitutional interpretation. The presentation is very well done and doesn’t require a law degree to understand and appreciate it. The lectures are current and thought provoking.
December 21, 2023
A solid introduction to the philosophy behind the US constitution, the intent of the framers, and how things played out over the next 200+ years
August 19, 2020
Hoffman took advantage of the success of the Hamilton musical to put out this paper and, as a result, I expected it to focus more particularly on the Federalist papers themselves and on Hamilton's overwhelming contribution to those papers, at least in terms of number written. However, Hoffman focuses more on some of the history surrounding the Constitution than the Federalist Papers themselves, making this series of lectures more of a combined history of both the Constitution and the Federalist Papers, and not doing an complete job at either. In particular, Hoffman focuses much more on Madison than Hamilton, leaving those inspired to learn more about the Papers from the musical disappointed and wondering more about Hamilton's contributions and legacy.
By themselves, the lectures are engaging and Hoffman does an adequate job providing an introduction to the main principles of the Constitution, the Amendments, and some of the arguments laid out in the Federalist Papers. However, I think this lecture series would have been better if it had been laid out over several parts. One covering the debates leading up to the Constitution, one covering the drafting of the Constitution, one covering the Federalist Papers and the need for such an interpretation immediately after the Constitutional Convention, one on the Bill of Rights and the Amendments, and one on unresolved issues. Hoffman covers these topics and many will find these essays sufficient to satisfy their interest following a viewing of Hamilton on Disney Plus, but Hoffman leaves too many hints at deeper debates and more historical points for these lectures to meet their potential.
By themselves, the lectures are engaging and Hoffman does an adequate job providing an introduction to the main principles of the Constitution, the Amendments, and some of the arguments laid out in the Federalist Papers. However, I think this lecture series would have been better if it had been laid out over several parts. One covering the debates leading up to the Constitution, one covering the drafting of the Constitution, one covering the Federalist Papers and the need for such an interpretation immediately after the Constitutional Convention, one on the Bill of Rights and the Amendments, and one on unresolved issues. Hoffman covers these topics and many will find these essays sufficient to satisfy their interest following a viewing of Hamilton on Disney Plus, but Hoffman leaves too many hints at deeper debates and more historical points for these lectures to meet their potential.
April 23, 2022
Initial draft
Excellent presentation which I recommend a part 2 discussing current considerations such as the developing concept of the “living document” progressing as society supposedly also develops and add some controversy to the text.
We have removed the 3/4 taxation of the slave to 92 local pages of tax forfeiture where the owners property is legally to be sold at auction but is not done for fear of BLM. We have just had 2 years of covid where society did not create Govt debt as schools were vacant and yet real estate tax increased 20% this year alone as Biden gives even more money to Ukraine.
We required voters to be land owners and now have included everyone voting and yet our elected requirements has not increased to meet the demands of the now everyone can vote mentality. Surely we must also require them to have at least a master degree own land have traveled abroad something to not allow someone such as AOC to become elected when she could not even afford to rent her own residents and yet she gets to decide as to where my tax money goes.
We need to return to the original founding documents.
Excellent presentation which I recommend a part 2 discussing current considerations such as the developing concept of the “living document” progressing as society supposedly also develops and add some controversy to the text.
We have removed the 3/4 taxation of the slave to 92 local pages of tax forfeiture where the owners property is legally to be sold at auction but is not done for fear of BLM. We have just had 2 years of covid where society did not create Govt debt as schools were vacant and yet real estate tax increased 20% this year alone as Biden gives even more money to Ukraine.
We required voters to be land owners and now have included everyone voting and yet our elected requirements has not increased to meet the demands of the now everyone can vote mentality. Surely we must also require them to have at least a master degree own land have traveled abroad something to not allow someone such as AOC to become elected when she could not even afford to rent her own residents and yet she gets to decide as to where my tax money goes.
We need to return to the original founding documents.
September 22, 2025
I began reading the original Federalist Papers and quickly realized that while they are brilliant, they can also be dense and layered in ways that demand context. This companion lecture was exactly what I wanted and needed. It even has suggested readings at the end of each chapter to help go to the original Federalist Papers.
Hoffman does an excellent job of parsing through the essays, not only summarizing the arguments but also situating them in the political and historical moment in which they were written. He explains why these debates were happening, what legal and constitutional questions were at stake, and most importantly how those arguments continue to shape our lives today.
What I appreciated most was the balance: Hoffman never oversimplifies, but he also doesn’t get lost in jargon. The book serves as both a guide and a bridge, making the Federalist Papers more accessible without stripping them of their complexity.
If you’ve ever wanted to tackle the Federalist Papers but felt daunted, this is the perfect companion. It deepens understanding, sharpens appreciation, and makes the experience far more rewarding.
Hoffman does an excellent job of parsing through the essays, not only summarizing the arguments but also situating them in the political and historical moment in which they were written. He explains why these debates were happening, what legal and constitutional questions were at stake, and most importantly how those arguments continue to shape our lives today.
What I appreciated most was the balance: Hoffman never oversimplifies, but he also doesn’t get lost in jargon. The book serves as both a guide and a bridge, making the Federalist Papers more accessible without stripping them of their complexity.
If you’ve ever wanted to tackle the Federalist Papers but felt daunted, this is the perfect companion. It deepens understanding, sharpens appreciation, and makes the experience far more rewarding.
December 5, 2020
I knew nothing about the Federalist Papers when I started this; I knew just about as much when I ended it. i did get that Hoffman of Indiana University, the Maurer School of Law, hates Hamilton, he believes he is a featherweight. That was a surprise. He rates Madison higher, another, but that is more because of Madison's idea of dual sovereignty or the division of states and federal rights. The book is colourful but light on information. Most of the bibliography is reading the Papers themselves.
August 3, 2022
I decided that being the political animal I am, I should make an attempt to read the Federalist Papers. Which I did, but I soon found the dense text with esoteric vocabulary and sentence structure was beginning to wear me down.
As a lifeline I got this great course overview of the Federalist Papers! Thank god I did! This course broke down some of the knottier ideas and talked in a lighthearted way about what they meant. The instructors discussion of the issue of dual sovereignty vis à vis state versus Federal was particularly interesting.
As a lifeline I got this great course overview of the Federalist Papers! Thank god I did! This course broke down some of the knottier ideas and talked in a lighthearted way about what they meant. The instructors discussion of the issue of dual sovereignty vis à vis state versus Federal was particularly interesting.
July 24, 2022
This is probably 3.5 stars really.
The course starts of as your standard course on American constitutional history. Some fascinating snippets, but also a some quite dry bits (I particularly switched off for bits about the mechanics of elections).
However, the last chapters on the Supreme Court and how the federalist papers apply to modern day issues were fantastic, prescient and very relevant. That chapter on its own would warrant 5 stars.
The course starts of as your standard course on American constitutional history. Some fascinating snippets, but also a some quite dry bits (I particularly switched off for bits about the mechanics of elections).
However, the last chapters on the Supreme Court and how the federalist papers apply to modern day issues were fantastic, prescient and very relevant. That chapter on its own would warrant 5 stars.
September 7, 2022
I listened to this as an Audible book. It's a clear, comprehensive overview of the Federalist Papers, which were instrumental in constructing the American system of government (executive, legislative, judicial). The author offers a lot of detail on the content and philosophical underpinnings of the Papers, controversies then and now, the origins of the Bill of Rights, and challenges ahead. Recommend for anyone who wants a refresher or introduction on this important topic.
February 26, 2023
Avoid. Author is clearly conservative. Preaches the original intention of the founding fathers, without any reference to how their decisions didn't work out as planned, or why slavery was the reason for the electoral college. He makes a call to action to readers to resist retirement ages for Supreme Court Justices and, of direct democracy, asks if we really want it to be so easy for people to vote.
June 5, 2022
Very informative, interesting and insightful. Brings the conversations, interactions and ideas to life in an outstanding way that is easy to relate to. The author does a great job with the narration as well.
***** FIVE STARS *****
***** FIVE STARS *****
September 3, 2024
Twelve 32-minute lectures available for download.
Listened while cooking and cleaning. I would have liked a lecture or two on the use and misuse of the Federalist Papers in the 200+ years since they came out.
Listened while cooking and cleaning. I would have liked a lecture or two on the use and misuse of the Federalist Papers in the 200+ years since they came out.
March 18, 2022
Great course that breaks down the Federalist Papers in an easy to understand way, thus making the constitution and branches of the US government more understandable. I learned a lot!
May 1, 2022
Audible Audiobooks (limited availability)
June 29, 2022
an excellent presentation
January 3, 2023
pretty dense.
September 22, 2023
Very interesting look into the Federalist papers. Though the material and the lecturer are a bit dry, I think that it's worth the effort if you're interested in the topic.
March 14, 2024
Good presenter. Really learned a lot about basis of Constitution. It was well worth the time.
I acquired it through Audible Plus Catalog I believe.
I acquired it through Audible Plus Catalog I believe.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews