Federalist No. 39

The Federalist No. 39 was written by James Madison to convince the people of New York that the constitution should be ratified and to prove that the government set up by the constitution was republican and whether or not it was a federal form of government. The government proposed by the constitution is in the form of a republic, where the people directly or indirectly influence the powers of the government. The article states that the government would be controlled by the majority of the people instead of just an elite group of nobles. In the article, Madison explains how the governmental officials would be elected and for how long they would hold the office they were elected to. The House of Representatives would be elected directly by the people, and then the senate and president would be elected through representation. He also tells the people of New York that the President of the United States can be impeached at any time during his presidency. The Federalist No. 39 states that the constitution creates a government that is neither entirely national nor federal. The House of Representatives is national because the population of the United States elects the officials and the Senate and Executive Branch is federal because those positions are elected through representation by the states.

In the Federalist No. 39, Madison reassures the people of New York that the constitution will guarantee that the people of America will directly or indirectly have control over aspects of the government. The article also guarantees that the government will not be wholly federal or wholly national.