The Federalist Papers, Federalist No. 32 summary

What happens

1. Hamilton accepts the need for independent state revenue and argues that the proposed Constitution protects it, subject to restrictions on imports and exports.
2. He identifies three ways federal authority becomes exclusive: express grants, paired grants and prohibitions, and directly contradictory powers.
3. He illustrates these categories with the government district, import duties, and uniform naturalization rules.
4. He argues that specific restrictions on state import and export duties confirm that other taxing powers remain shared.
5. He distinguishes practical difficulties caused by overlapping taxes from constitutional contradictions that exclude state power.
6. He concludes that explicit constitutional prohibitions confirm the states retain powers not taken from them.

In this paper

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