Federalist Papers

The Federalist Papers are a series of 85 articles about the United States Constitution, first published serially in New York City newspapers (the Independent Journal, the New-York Packet and the Daily Advertiser) between October 27, 1787 and May 28, 1788. A compilation, called The Federalist, was published in 1788.

The articles were intended to explain the new Constitution to the residents of New York state and persuade them to ratify it. The articles were written under the pseudonym "Publius" by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay. Madison is generally credited as the father of the Constitution and became the fourth President of the United States. Hamilton was an influential delegate at the Constitutional Convention. John Jay would become the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Hamilton penned the majority, Madison made several significant contributions to the series, Jay wrote but a handful.

The Federalist Papers serve as a primary source for interpretation of the Constitution. They also outline the philosophy and motivation of the proposed system of government, as it was presented by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay. The authors of the Federalist Papers were not above using the opportunity to provide their own "spin" on certain provisions of the constitution to (i) influence the vote on ratification and (ii) influence future interpretations of the provisions in question.

Federalist No. 10 and Federalist No. 51 are generally regarded as the most influential of the 85 articles; 10 advocates for a large, strong republic, 51 explains the need for separation of powers.

Article Topics

1 General Introduction

2-7 Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence

8 The Consequences of Hostilities Between the States

9-10 The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection

11 The Utility of the Union in Respect to Commercial Relations and a Navy

12 The Utility of the Union in Respect to Revenue

13 Advantage of the Union in Respect to Economy in Government

14 Objections to the Proposed Constitution from Extent of Territory Answered

15-20 The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union

21-22 Other Defects of the Present Confederation

23 The Necessity of a Government as Energetic as the One Proposed to the Preservation of the Union

24-25 The Powers Necessary to the Common Defense Further Considered

26-28 The Idea of Restraining the Legislative Authority in Regard to the Common Defense Considered

29 Concerning the Militia

30-36 Concerning the General Power of Taxation

37 Concerning the Difficulties of the Convention in Devising a Proper Form of Government

38 The Same Subject Continued, and the Incoherence of the Objections to the New Plan Exposed

39 The Conformity of the Plan to Republican Principles

40 The Powers of the Convention to Form a Mixed Government Examined and Sustained

41-43 General View of the Powers Conferred by the Constitution

44 Restrictions on the Authority of the Several States

45 The Alleged Danger From the Powers of the Union to the State Governments Considered

46 The Influence of the State and Federal Governments Compared

47 The Particular Structure of the New Government and the Distribution of Power Among Its Different Parts

48 These Departments Should Not Be So Far Separated as to Have No Constitutional Control Over Each Other

49 Method of Guarding Against the Encroachments of Any One Department of Government by Appealing to the People Through a Convention

50 Periodic Appeals to the People Considered

51 The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments

52-61 The House of Representatives

62-66 The Senate

67-77 The Executive Department

78-83 The Judiciary Department

84 Certain General and Miscellaneous Objections to the Constitution Considered and Answered

85 Concluding Remarks

Federalist Papers

Article Topics

External Links