Ep6 The Federalist Papers: This month, David interviews Michael Meyerson, author of “Liberty’s Blueprint: How Madison and Hamilton Wrote the Federalist Papers”
November 2026 — David interviews Michael Meyerson, author of Liberty’s Blueprint: How Madison and Hamilton Wrote The Federalist, Defined the Constitution, and Made Democracy Safe for the World. “He has also read all 85 Federalist essays,” David shares. “If skimming counts, so have I.”
About this month’s guest: Michael Meyerson, DLA Piper Professor of Law and Director of the Fannie Angelos Program for Academic Excellence at the University of Baltimore School of Law, joined that faculty in 1985 after serving three years as an instructor at Brooklyn Law School. He spent three years as a consumer affairs attorney for the New York State Consumer Protection Board. Meyerson’s most recent book is Endowed By Our Creator: The Birth of Religious Freedom in America (Yale University Press 2012). He has written three other books and published numerous articles on constitutional law, contracts law, and the First Amendment, which have appeared in the Stanford Journal of International Law, Indiana Law Review, Nebraska Law Review, Notre Dame Law Review, Miami Law Review, and Harvard Journal of Law & Technology. He is a member of the New York Bar. Learn more: ubalt.edu
About Liberty’s Blueprint: How Madison and Hamilton Wrote the Federalist Papers: This is the fascinating story of how the Federalist Papers were written, along with a controversial interpretation of their meanings, then and now.
Aside from the Constitution itself, there is no more important document in American politics and law than The Federalist–the series of essays written by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison to explain the proposed Constitution to the American people and persuade them to ratify it. Today, amid angry debate over what the Constitution means and what the Framers’ “original intent” was, The Federalist is more important than ever, offering invaluable insight into how the Framers thought about the most troubling issues of American government and how the various clauses of the Constitution were meant to be understood.
Michael Meyerson’s Liberty’s Blueprint provides a fascinating window into the fleeting, and ultimately doomed, friendship between Hamilton and Madison, as well as a much-needed introduction to understanding how the lessons of The Federalist remain relevant for resolving contemporary constitutional issues from medical marijuana to the war on terrorism. This book shows that, when properly read, The Federalist is not a “conservative” manifesto but a document that rightfully belongs to all Americans across the political spectrum.
Click here to read the Federalist essays: Library of Congress
Author and historian David O. Stewart
Meet David O. Stewart: A trial and appellate lawyer for many years, David writes history and historical novels. He has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Washington Independent Review of Books, was a reporter for the Staten Island Advance, and for 10 years wrote the monthly Supreme Court column for the American Bar Association Journal. He has also done on-air commentary for CNN, C-SPAN, Bloomberg News, and MSNBC.
About his newest book, The Democracy We Must Keep:
What did America’s founders say about democracy—and can we remain true to their vision for America? Two hundred fifty years ago, passionate men attempted to create something the world had never seen before: a nation built not on kings or armies, but on ideas where the people ruled. In The Democracy We Must Keep, historian David O. Stewart takes readers inside the nine key documents that shaped the formation of the United States—from Patrick Henry’s thunderous cry for liberty to the carefully crafted design of a government chosen by the people, with limits on all officials holding power under the Constitution.
Through the words of seven visionary founders—Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Gouverneur Morris, and others—Stewart shows how a fragile experiment in self-government took shape. These men were not saints. They argued passionately. They worried that the new nation might fall apart. Yet together, they forged the principles that must still define American democracy: That power must be limited. That leaders must answer to the people. That individual rights must be protected by law.
As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, The Democracy We Must Keep urges readers to rediscover core ideas that built the nation—and to consider what it will take to protect them. Accessible, engaging, and timely, this book is for anyone who wants to understand how American democracy started, and why it still matters. Learn more: davidostewart.com • Click here to buy David’s books
