Federalist No. 38
Federalist Paper by James Madison
Federalist No. 38 is an essay by James Madison, the thirty-eighth of The Federalist Papers. It was first published by The Independent Journal (New York) on January 12, 1788, under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. Madison continues his topic from Federalist No. 37, the political questions examined by the constitutional convention. The essay is titled "The Same Subject Continued, and the Incoherence of the Objections to the New Plan Exposed". In it Madison argues that despite the many objections to the Constitution, it is still a vast and necessary improvement over the Articles of Confederation.
The essay mostly addresses the concern of imperfections in the new government. It covers history of the formation of governments, starting with the Minoans. The text is also notable for a single mention of slavery:
"It is a matter both of wonder and regret, that those who raise so many objections against the new Constitution should never call to mind the defects of that which is to be exchanged for it.
The public source identifies “Federalist No. 38” as federalist Paper by James Madison. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Federalist, Paper and James.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Federalist No. 38”, the useful work is to connect “federalist Paper by James Madison” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 27, 2023. The linked authority identifier is Q5440610. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1788.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Federalist No. 38”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Federalist No. 38 primary sources, Federalist No. 38 archive and Federalist research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Federalist No. 38”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Federalist No. 38” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.