Other editions of book The Federalist Papers

Following the signing of the Declaration of Independence there was a vigorous debate in the American colonies on the form of government that should be then established. A Constitutional Convention was convened between May 25th and September 17th, 1787. A principal point in the debate at the convention was as to how much power should be granted to the federal government versus the states. In response to what would come out of this convention a number of “anti-federalist” essays began to proliferate in the press. In order to combat the objections to the new Constitution, Alexander Hamilton organized an effort to write and publish a series of essays that would “endeavor to give a satisfactory answer to all the objections”. This series of essays, which first appeared in three New York newspapers, “The Independent Journal”, the “New-York Packet”, and the “Daily Advertiser”, would come to be known as “The Federalist Papers”. Although the essays were published anonymously, it is believed that Alexander Hamilton wrote the majority of them with James Madison and John Jay contributing the rest. The influence of “The Federalist Papers” on modern democracy cannot be overstated and to this day these writings stand as some of the most important documents regarding the constitutional history of the United States of America. This edition includes introductions by Edward Gaylord Bourne and Goldwin Smith and a biographical afterword of Alexander Hamilton.

In "The Federalist Papers," three of the founding fathers brilliantly defend their revolutionary charter: the Constitution of the United States. "This country and this people seem to have been made for each other, and it appears as if it was the design of Providence, that an inheritance so proper and convenient for a band of brethren ... should never be split into a number of unsocial, jealous, and alien sovereignties." So wrote John Jay, one of the revolutionary authors of "The Federalist Papers," arguing that if the United States was truly to be a single nation, its leaders would have to agree on universally binding rules of governance--in short, a constitution. In a brilliant set of essays, Jay and his colleagues Alexander Hamilton and James Madison explored in minute detail the implications of establishing a kind of rule that would engage as many citizens as possible and that would include a system of checks and balances. Their arguments proved successful in the end, and "The Federalist Papers" stand as key documents in the founding of the United States. "The Federalist Papers" are truly a classic in American history, the documents that helped shape a nation.

The Federalist (later known as The Federalist Papers) is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution. Seventy-seven were published serially in The Independent Journal and The New York Packet between October 1787 and August 1788. A compilation of these and eight others, called The Federalist; or, The New Constitution, was published in two volumes in 1788 by J. and A. McLean. The collection's original title was The Federalist; the title The Federalist Papers did not emerge until the 20th century.Though the authors of The Federalist Papers foremost wished to influence the vote in favor of ratifying the Constitution, in Federalist No. 1 they explicitly set that debate in broader political terms:It has been frequently remarked, that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not, of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend, for their political constitutions, on accident and force.

The Federalist, by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, constitutes a text central to the American political tradition. Published in newspapers in 1787 and 1788 to explain and promote ratification of the proposed Constitution for the United States, which up to then were bound by the Articles of Confederation, The Federalist remains today of singular importance to students of liberty around the world. The new Liberty Fund edition presents the text of the Gideon edition of The Federalist, published in 1818, which includes the preface to the text by Jacob Gideon as well as the responses and corrections prepared by Madison to the McLean edition of 1810. The McLean edition had presented the Federalist texts as corrected by Hamilton and Jay but not reviewed by Madison. The Liberty Fund Federalist also includes a new introduction, a Reader’s Guide outlining—section by section—the arguments of The Federalist, a glossary, and ten appendixes, including the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Virginia Resolution Proposing the Annapolis Convention, and other key documents leading up to the transmission of the Constitution to the governors of the several states. Finally, the Constitution of the United States and Amendments is given, with marginal cross-references to the pertinent passages in The Federalist that address, argue for, or comment upon the specific term, phrase, section, or article of the Constitution. Alexander Hamilton (1755–1804) was secretary and aide-de-camp to Washington in 1777–81, a member of the Continental Congress in 1782–83 and 1787–88, a representative from New York to the Annapolis Convention in 1786 and to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, first U. S. secretary of the treasury in 1789–95, and inspector general of the army, with the rank of major general, from 1798 to 1800. His efforts to defeat Aaron Burr for the presidency in 1800-01 and for the governorship of New York in 1804 led to his fatal duel with Burr. John Jay (1745–1829) was a member of the Continental Congress in 1774 through 1779 and its president in 1778–79, drafter of New York’s first constitution in 1777, chief justice of the New York supreme court from 1777 to 1778, U. S. minister to Spain in 1779, a member of the commission to negotiate peace with Great Britain in Paris in 1787, U. S. secretary of foreign affairs from 1784 to 1789, Chief Justice of the United States from 1789 to 1795, and governor of New York from 1795 to 1801. James Madison (1751–1836) was a member of the Virginia legislature in 1776–80 and 1784–86, of the Continental Congress in 1780–83, and of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, where he earned the title “father of the U. S. Constitution.” He was a member of the U. S. House of Representatives from 1789 to 1797, where he was a sponsor of the Bill of Rights and an opponent of Hamilton’s financial measures. He was the author of the Virginia Resolutions of 1798 in opposition to the U. S. alien and sedition laws. He was U. S. secretary of state in 1801–09, President of the U. S. in 1809–17, and rector of the University of Virginia, 1826–36. George W. Carey is a professor of government at Georgetown University and the editor of several works on American government. He is the author of In Defense of the Constitution, published by Liberty Fund. James McClellan (1937-2005) was James Bryce Visiting Fellow in American Studies at the Institute of United States Studies, University of London, and the author of Liberty, Order, and Justic

The Federalist Papers are a lucid series of initially anonymous political essays exhorting voters to ratify the Constitution of the United States, which was to replace the Articles of Confederation. The authors assume that people are neither perfect in virtue nor reason, and hence that a good system of government must protect against both these human weaknesses. The proposed constitution was soon ratified, though not without vigorous debate, and since then has been the supreme law of one of the greatest nations in human history, and the model for other systems of government. Thomas Jefferson hailed The Federalist Papers as the best commentary ever written about the principles of government, and they are still the best starting point for anyone who wishes to understand the Constitution of the United States. Later scholarship has identified the authors to be Alexander Hamilton, George Washington's Chief of Staff and first Secretary of the Treasury; John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States; and James Madison, father of the Constitution, author of the Bill of Rights, and fourth President of the United States. This edition includes the Constitution of the United States. This is a handsome hardback edition of an essential reference.

How the Constitutional Debate changed the old political system and shaped the very core of American democracy – This meticulously created collection contains the old laws of the country and the constitutional changes made after the Revolution, together with the arguments of Founding Fathers about the crucial decisions which shaped the America we know today: government resting on the people, executive power status, election organization, defense, taxation, powers of the Union, the judiciary, senate... By reading their words you will have a clear understanding how this debate influenced our present and created the American democracy:Need for Stronger Union Federalist Papers: I, II, III, IV, V, VI Anti-Federalist Papers: John Dewitt I&IIBill of Rights Federalist: LXXXIV Anti-Federalist: John Dewitt IINature and Powers of the Union Federalist: I, XIV, XV Anti-Federalist: Patrick HenryResponsibility and Checks in Self-government Federalist: X, LI Anti-Federalist: Centenel IExtent of Union, States' Rights, Bill of Rights, Taxation Federalist: X, XXXII, XXXIII, XXXV… Anti-Federalist: Brutus IExtended Republics Federalist: VII, X, XIV, XXXV, XXXVI Anti-Federalist: Federal Farmer I&IIBroad Construction, Taxing Powers Federalist: XXIII, XXX, XXXI, XXXII….. Anti-Federalist: Brutus VIDefense, Standing Armies Federalist: XXIV, XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII, XXIX Anti-Federalist: Brutus XThe Judiciary Federalist: LXXVIII, LXXIX, LXXX, LXXXI, LXXXII, LXXXIII Anti-Federalist: Brutus XI, XII, XVGovernment Resting on the People Federalist: XXIII, XLIX Anti-Federalist: John Dewitt IIIExecutive Power Federalist: LXVII Anti-Federalist: Cato VRegulating Elections Federalist: LIX Anti-Federalist: Cato VIIHouse of Representatives Federalist: XXVII, XXVIII, LII, LIII, LIV, LVII Anti-Federalist: Brutus IVThe Senate Federalist: LXII, LXIII Anti-Federalist: Brutus XVIArticles of Confederation (1777)Declaration of Independence

The eighty-five Federalist articles were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay; three Founding Fathers who together sought to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution. This definitive edition includes all 85 articles, and the text of the Constitution for ease of reference.Introduced and passed into law between 1787 and 1788, these papers were influential in persuading the citizens of the states to ratify the United States Constitution. Most of the Federalist Papers are occupied directly or indirectly with the terms of the constitution, explaining and justifying how each was laid out. There is some diversion between the opinions expressed and events which followed - Hamilton, for example, was opposed to the notion of a Bill of Rights as he felt the original document provided enough protection for the citizenry. However, the Bill of Rights was eventually created in 1789 and ratified in 1791. The Federalist Papers were written in part to clarify the scope and purposes of the United States Constitution, and partly to rebuke critics within New York state who felt such a document would be either inevitably flawed or even unnecessary. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay were determined to answer each and every critic's points with well-reasoned arguments, dealing with each objection in detail. The political climate at the time, wherein the United States had not existed for long, and the Constitution was not ratified in several states including New York, meant the authors remained anonymous. However, certain figures could discern their individual writing styles and would later confirm the authors of all eighty-five papers. However, the authors were not accredited until 1804 when a list of each article and its author was published. Important as an early and authoritative insight into constitutional law, certain papers form early examples of the principles of United States government. Many remain consulted by legal scholars and practicing lawyers within and outside the USA, and are cited in legal arguments within courts of law. The detailed discussion of the Constitution and its terms by some of its own signatories are the most authentic expositions ever written, although the extent of influence the Federalist Papers had on the ratification process has been disputed by historians and scholars.

The Federalist Papers is a collection of 85 articles and essays written and published anonymously in 1787 and 1788 by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay exhorting voters to ratify the United States Constitution. The controversial arguments first presented here by three of America’s greatest patriots and political theorists are still hotly debated today.This new digital edition of The Federalist Papers includes a table of contents and an image gallery.