The Federalist Papers were written by James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton to gain support for the new US Constitution. They established the principles of federalism and advocated for a divided federal government, checks and balances, and judicial review. Despite some skepticism, the papers have become a major policy document still used in interpreting constitutional laws.
The Federalist Papers are a series of political articles written by James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton. The articles, published in 1787 and 1788, were written to gain popular support for the proposed new US Constitution. They would establish the principles of what would become the political philosophy of federalism in the United States.
The Federalist Papers would become the most important political treaty in US history. The essays, which would become a series of 85 articles, were published over the seven months between October 27, 1787 and May 28, 1788. They were written by the authors collectively under the pseudonym “Publius”, a representation that they were writing for the public.
The authors were prominent in the arena of American revolutionary politics. James Madison, the best known, had been the principal author of the Constitution and would later become the fourth president of the United States. Alexander Hamilton would later become the first US Treasury Secretary. John Jay, author of five essays in the Federalist Papers, was a former president of the Continental Congress and would later be the first chief justice of the United States.
These documents were written to support the ratification of the Constitution. The authors moved the people of New York state to elect delegates to the next state convention who would vote for ratification. The Federalist Papers serve as an explanation of the document that would become the Constitution. Both would justify the omission of a bill of rights and would act as interpreters for other provisions included in the Constitution.
The authors of the Federalist Papers outlined a basic form of American federalism. They urged Americans to accept the Constitution and form of government which came into being by choice and reason unlike the governments of many other countries around the world. Federalists advocated a divided federal government, a system of checks and balances, a division between federal, state and local governments, and a system of judicial review. James Madison argued for the republic’s ability to fight over such a large territory. He argued that differences of opinion across the republic would help birth the freedom all Americans wanted.
The Federalist Papers were, however, received by many as incomplete and pretentious. Many Americans were skeptical of opposition to a bill of rights. Some would see newspapers as nothing more than a big PR campaign. Despite these detractors, the papers have outlived their writers and have survived as a major policy document into the 21st century. The Federalist Papers are still used by lawyers, judges and jurors in interpreting constitutional laws.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
