 Alexander Hamilton, author of Federalist No. 26 | |
| Author | Alexander Hamilton |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | The Federalist |
| Publisher | The Independent Journal |
Publication date | December 22, 1787 |
| Media type | Newspaper |
| Preceded by | Federalist No. 25 |
| Followed by | Federalist No. 27 |
| Text | Federalist No. 26 at Wikisource |
Federalist No. 26, titled "The Idea of Restraining the Legislative Authority in Regard to the Common Defense Considered", is an essay written by Alexander Hamilton in the twenty-sixth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on December 22, 1787, under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. Federalist No. 26 expands upon the arguments of a federal military Hamilton made in No. 24 and No. 25, and it is directly continued in No. 27 and No. 28.
Federalist No. 26 addresses the power of the legislature to maintain a standing army during peacetime, making an argument in favor of the constitution's provisions regulating this power and criticizing anti-federalists who opposed granting this power to Congress. These arguments reflect Hamilton's views of centralized government and his rejection of the idea that government power necessarily constrains civil liberties. The arguments surrounding legislative power over the military would go on to influence the Second and Third amendments to the constitution, and legislative maintenance of a standing army has since become standard practice in the United States.