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The Federalist No. 15: The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union

Alexander Hamilton · The Avalon Project, Yale Law School · 1787

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Type: Book
Author: Alexander Hamilton
Accessed: 2026-09-01

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EstablishedUnder the Articles of Confederation, the common treasury was supplied by the states, whose legislatures laid and levied the taxes (Article VIII); Congress could make binding requisitions but, as Federalist No. 15 complained, these were in practice mere recommendations; and any alteration required confirmation by the legislature of every state (Article XIII).EstablishedIn The Federalist No. 15 Hamilton argued that the 'great and radical vice' of the American Confederation was legislation for states in their corporate or collective capacities rather than for individuals, so that its requisitions for men and money were in practice mere recommendations.