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The Federalist Papers
Originally published anonymously, The Federalist Papers first appeared in 1787 as a series of letters to New York newspapers exhorting voters to ratify the proposed Constitution of the United States. Still hotly debated and open to often controversial interpretations, the arguments first presented here by three of America's greatest patriots and political theorists were created during a critical moment in our nation's history, providing readers with a running ideological commentary on the crucial issues facing a democracy. Today, The Federalist Papers are as important and vital a rallying cry for freedom as ever.
1 pages, Audio CD
Published December 24, 2010
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About the author
Alexander Hamilton
1,067 books960 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
American politician Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury of United States from 1789 to 1795, established the national bank and public credit system; a duel with Aaron Burr, his rival, mortally wounded him.
One of the Founding Fathers, this economist and philosopher led calls for the convention at Philadelphia and as first Constitutional lawyer co-wrote the Federalist Papers , a primary source for Constitutional interpretation.
During the Revolutionary War, he, born in the West Indies but educated in the north, joined the militia, which chose him artillery captain. Hamilton, senior aide-de-camp and confidant to George Washington, general, led three battalions at the siege of Yorktown. People elected him to the Continental congress, but he resigned to practice law and to found in New York. He served in the legislature of New York and later returned to Congress; at the convention in Philadelphia, only he signed the Constitution for New York. Under Washington, then president, he influenced formative government policy widely. Hamilton, an admirer of British, emphasized strong central government and implied powers, under which the new Congress funded and assumed the debts and created an import tariff and whiskey tax.
A coalition, the formative Federalist Party, arose around Hamilton, and another coalition, the formative Democratic-Republican Party, arose around Thomas Jefferson and James Madison before 1792; these coalitions differed strongly over domestic fiscal goals and Hamiltonian foreign policy of extensive trade and friendly relations with Britain. Exposed in an affair with Maria Reynolds, Hamilton resigned to return to Constitutional law and advocacy of strong federalism. In 1798, the quasi-war with France led him to argue for an army, which he organized and commanded de facto.
Opposition of Hamilton to John Adams, fellow Federalist, contributed to the success of Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, in the uniquely deadlocked election of 1800. With defeat of his party, his industrializing ideas lost their former prominence. In 1801, Hamilton founded the Federalist broadsheet New-York Evening Post, now known as the New York Post. His intensity with the vice-president eventually resulted in his death.
After the war of 1812, Madison, Albert Gallatin, and other former opponents of the late Hamilton revived some of his federalizing programs, such as infrastructure, tariffs, and a standing Army and Navy. His Federalist and business-oriented economic visions for the country continue to influence party platforms to this day.
American politician Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury of United States from 1789 to 1795, established the national bank and public credit system; a duel with Aaron Burr, his rival, mortally wounded him.
One of the Founding Fathers, this economist and philosopher led calls for the convention at Philadelphia and as first Constitutional lawyer co-wrote the Federalist Papers , a primary source for Constitutional interpretation.
During the Revolutionary War, he, born in the West Indies but educated in the north, joined the militia, which chose him artillery captain. Hamilton, senior aide-de-camp and confidant to George Washington, general, led three battalions at the siege of Yorktown. People elected him to the Continental congress, but he resigned to practice law and to found in New York. He served in the legislature of New York and later returned to Congress; at the convention in Philadelphia, only he signed the Constitution for New York. Under Washington, then president, he influenced formative government policy widely. Hamilton, an admirer of British, emphasized strong central government and implied powers, under which the new Congress funded and assumed the debts and created an import tariff and whiskey tax.
A coalition, the formative Federalist Party, arose around Hamilton, and another coalition, the formative Democratic-Republican Party, arose around Thomas Jefferson and James Madison before 1792; these coalitions differed strongly over domestic fiscal goals and Hamiltonian foreign policy of extensive trade and friendly relations with Britain. Exposed in an affair with Maria Reynolds, Hamilton resigned to return to Constitutional law and advocacy of strong federalism. In 1798, the quasi-war with France led him to argue for an army, which he organized and commanded de facto.
Opposition of Hamilton to John Adams, fellow Federalist, contributed to the success of Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, in the uniquely deadlocked election of 1800. With defeat of his party, his industrializing ideas lost their former prominence. In 1801, Hamilton founded the Federalist broadsheet New-York Evening Post, now known as the New York Post. His intensity with the vice-president eventually resulted in his death.
After the war of 1812, Madison, Albert Gallatin, and other former opponents of the late Hamilton revived some of his federalizing programs, such as infrastructure, tariffs, and a standing Army and Navy. His Federalist and business-oriented economic visions for the country continue to influence party platforms to this day.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 12, 2023
I did it! This was a slog of a read. It took multiple years to get through the whole thing (when I think back across the essays, I mostly remember the lab where I processed a LOT of DNA methylation samples while listening to Hamilton, Madison, and Jay). I did not understand all of it (truly, as soon as I stopped giving it my full attention I continued to understand each word individually but had no idea what the writer was talking about, and the english isn't even particularly archaic), but I feel like a more informed citizen than when I started, and certain sections have come up in everyday conversations with friends. I suppose that means that it is still relevant today, or that I retained at least some of what I read. It was a worthwhile endeavor, but I am happy to be done.
January 20, 2020
It's spine-tingling to read some of these essays. They're eerily prescient, particularly when it comes to what we're witnessing now. From Essay 1:
It's also interesting to read, in the Founders' words, about the right to bear arms as a critical check against any excessive military force being used against the People; the play of federal versus democratic principles that shape our Constitution; the arguments for not needing a Bill of Rights; and the role of the Judicial branch, considered the weakest.
I wished this edition had included No. 65 on impeachment. But otherwise a good — if dense — read.
"A dangerous ambition more often lurks behind the specious mask of zeal for the rights of the people than under the forbidden appearance of zeal for the firmness and efficiency of government. History will teach us that, the former has been found a much more certain road to the introduction of despotism than the latter, and that of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people; commencing demagogues, and ending tyrants."
It's also interesting to read, in the Founders' words, about the right to bear arms as a critical check against any excessive military force being used against the People; the play of federal versus democratic principles that shape our Constitution; the arguments for not needing a Bill of Rights; and the role of the Judicial branch, considered the weakest.
I wished this edition had included No. 65 on impeachment. But otherwise a good — if dense — read.
October 10, 2024
I get it’s like important for America or whatever, but I dreaded reading it.
June 17, 2013
while I'm a 4th way through the book, I admit I'm disappointed, not over the content, but with what's missing. I thought, when I bought it, it'd be all the federalist papers. I knew they were really just a bunch of essays published in a New York newspaper under the pseudonym 'Plubius', I knew it was written mostly by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, with a few by John Jay. I knew this was basically arguing for New York to ratify the US Constitution without the Bill of Rights, which wasn't written yet.
I just didn't expect this book to be a weeded out version. Beeman did say (of course, after I bought it) that he weeded out what he thought not-so-applicable, mainly because a lot of Hamilton's arguments were against the Articles of Confederation, which America was 'operating' under. Operating in quotes, because America was failing.
When Hamilton/Madison/Jay were writing these essays, America faced all kinds of problems assocated with a too-limited government, too much state power (which they consequently argued against each other), no way to really raise money to pay off debts, which led to Shay's Rebellion. Still, I wonder if some of the Hamilton essays missing from this book may still be applicable against those who subscribe to Grover Norquist's superweak government (shrink it then drown it). Maybe Beeman was right in lopping off those other essays, but reading this chopped up book, you'll never know. I guess I gotta go buy the full edition.
I just didn't expect this book to be a weeded out version. Beeman did say (of course, after I bought it) that he weeded out what he thought not-so-applicable, mainly because a lot of Hamilton's arguments were against the Articles of Confederation, which America was 'operating' under. Operating in quotes, because America was failing.
When Hamilton/Madison/Jay were writing these essays, America faced all kinds of problems assocated with a too-limited government, too much state power (which they consequently argued against each other), no way to really raise money to pay off debts, which led to Shay's Rebellion. Still, I wonder if some of the Hamilton essays missing from this book may still be applicable against those who subscribe to Grover Norquist's superweak government (shrink it then drown it). Maybe Beeman was right in lopping off those other essays, but reading this chopped up book, you'll never know. I guess I gotta go buy the full edition.
July 24, 2025
Got so little out of this. The concerns here are just completely remote. The issues they write about have either been resolved (why do we have one President instead of two?) or lost (it's preferable to have fewer, simpler laws so that laypeople can understand them). I read a lot of things to tick the box of having read them, but I do that because it often leads me to interesting stuff. This just felt like I was ticking the box.
October 22, 2022
I did it! I read The Federalist (or at least the 19 essays selected for this edition). Am I a real American now?
I enjoyed the selection in this Penguin Civics Classics edition. If you want the full collection, the editor recommends the Wesleyan UP edition as the standard text. If I ever come back to The Federalist for a deeper dive, that's the edition I'll pick up. For now, I give the PCC's "Federalist Papers" 4 out of 5 stars. The papers included in this edition are . . .
No. 1 – Introduction
No. 6 – Dangers of division among the states
No. 9 – Pros and cons of republics vs monarchies
No. 10 – Mitigating the dangers of factionalism
No. 14 – Problems of scale addressed
No. 23 – "Energetic government" in the national interest
No. 39 – National and federal characteristics of the government
No. 45 – State vs federal power, pt. I
No. 46 – State vs federal power, pt. II
No. 47 – Clarifications about the separation of powers
No. 48 – Protections against legislative overreach
No. 51 – Checks and balances
No. 62 – The Senate, pt. I
No. 63 – The Senate, pt. II
No. 64 – Power and process of making treaties
No. 70 – Unity in the executive branch
No. 78 – Life terms in the judicial branch
No. 84 – Objections answered
No. 85 – Amendment process and conclusion
One final note, I thought it was interesting how often points made in The Federalist resist our current conservative orthodoxy. I'm sure that certain pundits could explain away Madison and Hamilton's words, that they don't actually apply in our current context the way a plain reading of the text seems to imply, but that would only make the irony of it all more delicious, right?
So long as today's liberals are ashamed to reclaim their ideological roots, I imagine we'll be stuck with these one-sided and one-dimensional political takes on "what the founders really intended." Whether liberals should or most would want reclaim The Federalist is another matter entirely. My point is merely that they could. The avenue lies open to them.
I enjoyed the selection in this Penguin Civics Classics edition. If you want the full collection, the editor recommends the Wesleyan UP edition as the standard text. If I ever come back to The Federalist for a deeper dive, that's the edition I'll pick up. For now, I give the PCC's "Federalist Papers" 4 out of 5 stars. The papers included in this edition are . . .
No. 1 – Introduction
No. 6 – Dangers of division among the states
No. 9 – Pros and cons of republics vs monarchies
No. 10 – Mitigating the dangers of factionalism
No. 14 – Problems of scale addressed
No. 23 – "Energetic government" in the national interest
No. 39 – National and federal characteristics of the government
No. 45 – State vs federal power, pt. I
No. 46 – State vs federal power, pt. II
No. 47 – Clarifications about the separation of powers
No. 48 – Protections against legislative overreach
No. 51 – Checks and balances
No. 62 – The Senate, pt. I
No. 63 – The Senate, pt. II
No. 64 – Power and process of making treaties
No. 70 – Unity in the executive branch
No. 78 – Life terms in the judicial branch
No. 84 – Objections answered
No. 85 – Amendment process and conclusion
One final note, I thought it was interesting how often points made in The Federalist resist our current conservative orthodoxy. I'm sure that certain pundits could explain away Madison and Hamilton's words, that they don't actually apply in our current context the way a plain reading of the text seems to imply, but that would only make the irony of it all more delicious, right?
So long as today's liberals are ashamed to reclaim their ideological roots, I imagine we'll be stuck with these one-sided and one-dimensional political takes on "what the founders really intended." Whether liberals should or most would want reclaim The Federalist is another matter entirely. My point is merely that they could. The avenue lies open to them.
July 24, 2016
This edition is an abridged collection of some of the essays (19 out of the full 85). The essays were written in the midst of the Constitution ratification debates to encourage ratification.
If you're interested in how the national government was designed, why certain features were added or not added, these papers will help illuminate. Consider it a user's guide to the Constitution. Where the latter is a short (~10 page) document of the rules of government, these letters expand on why those rules were picked. Why, for example, does the Senate require an older minimum age (30) than the House of Representatives (25) for its members? Why are judges in the judiciary appointed for life (on good behavior), whereas Senators have staggered 6-year terms and House of Representatives much shorter 2-year terms? Since the Constitution remains the supreme law of the United States, the Federalist Papers continue to be useful reading for any American citizen who wants to better understand how their government operates or should operate.
The full text of the remaining Federalist Papers are also available from the Library of Congress's archives at: https://www.congress.gov/resources/di...
If you're interested in how the national government was designed, why certain features were added or not added, these papers will help illuminate. Consider it a user's guide to the Constitution. Where the latter is a short (~10 page) document of the rules of government, these letters expand on why those rules were picked. Why, for example, does the Senate require an older minimum age (30) than the House of Representatives (25) for its members? Why are judges in the judiciary appointed for life (on good behavior), whereas Senators have staggered 6-year terms and House of Representatives much shorter 2-year terms? Since the Constitution remains the supreme law of the United States, the Federalist Papers continue to be useful reading for any American citizen who wants to better understand how their government operates or should operate.
The full text of the remaining Federalist Papers are also available from the Library of Congress's archives at: https://www.congress.gov/resources/di...
September 25, 2015
This is a great book to read based on the United States constitution in which Alexander Hamilton James Madison and John Jay focused on. Also they pointed that We as the people of United States created the constitution. At the same time it was pointed out that if we have justice there will be no government because the people will over rule. For the most part all three of them pointed out some of the strengths and weaknesses of each of our powers that organizes the United States such as the legislature judicial and executive branch has an important role of shaping out country. Most importantly how each power should over lap each other to maintain the balance each branch has.
December 25, 2016
This summary was useless... I'm just going to Guttenberg and downloading the origional text when I've got some time. Something with historical references/footnotes/comments would be ideal, but that should be an expansion on the origional papers, not editing it down to nothing...
April 26, 2018
The most important documents regarding the founding of the greatest country on earth that no one reads.
July 11, 2020
How did I earn a BA in political science having never read more then extremely brief excerpts of the Federalist Papers?
Not exactly easy reading, but lots to think about. This version includes only 19 of the 85 papers. The Introduction says that there is general agreement over which papers are really limited to speaking to specific situations and people of the time they were written, and this volume has left those out. I have no idea whether or not this is true, but there were definitely points in the book where I didn't really understand what was going on, and it sounded like the authors were addressing an argument or situation specific to their time, so I can only imagine what some of the papers omitted from the book are like.
It was an interesting time to read this book. We are currently surrounded with discussions of the downfalls of our Founding Fathers. They had many, and I think these discussions are important. But this reminder of how amazing these men were in coming up with a brand new government that advances liberty and rights while being realistic about the vices of most humans that might cause this government to fail was uplifting, especially around Independence Day. We have a strong ground to build on and improve as we become more aware of our country's shortfalls.
There is so much to think about when reading this. My copy is incredibly marked up with my underlinings and questions in the margins. Some of the papers seem so on point and weirdly seem to foresee the situation we are in today with a president who wants to hoard power for himself with little consideration of the common good. And some things stated in the papers as an argument for accepting the Constitution didn't seem to come to fruition at all.
This volume is just the papers, no explanatory text, and I could really use some explanation in contemporary language because I think I am missing a lot. Would love to have a class going over this in detail.
BTW, to my contemporary ears, James Madison and John Jay are way easier to understand than Alexander Hamilton!
Not exactly easy reading, but lots to think about. This version includes only 19 of the 85 papers. The Introduction says that there is general agreement over which papers are really limited to speaking to specific situations and people of the time they were written, and this volume has left those out. I have no idea whether or not this is true, but there were definitely points in the book where I didn't really understand what was going on, and it sounded like the authors were addressing an argument or situation specific to their time, so I can only imagine what some of the papers omitted from the book are like.
It was an interesting time to read this book. We are currently surrounded with discussions of the downfalls of our Founding Fathers. They had many, and I think these discussions are important. But this reminder of how amazing these men were in coming up with a brand new government that advances liberty and rights while being realistic about the vices of most humans that might cause this government to fail was uplifting, especially around Independence Day. We have a strong ground to build on and improve as we become more aware of our country's shortfalls.
There is so much to think about when reading this. My copy is incredibly marked up with my underlinings and questions in the margins. Some of the papers seem so on point and weirdly seem to foresee the situation we are in today with a president who wants to hoard power for himself with little consideration of the common good. And some things stated in the papers as an argument for accepting the Constitution didn't seem to come to fruition at all.
This volume is just the papers, no explanatory text, and I could really use some explanation in contemporary language because I think I am missing a lot. Would love to have a class going over this in detail.
BTW, to my contemporary ears, James Madison and John Jay are way easier to understand than Alexander Hamilton!
February 8, 2021
The US Constitution is the foundational law of the land, but it is over two hundred years old. Time and cultural changes have made its language opaque at times, and it is easy to draw erroneous conclusions from a simplistic surface reading. As a result, we need to look at how the language was used in the time of the Framers in order to find the meaning and intent of the language of this document foundational to the Republic.
The Federalist Papers were a series of publications in which several of the Framers (Alexander Hamilton*, James Madison**, and John Jay***) argued the case for the Constitution during the period in which the states were debating whether to ratify it. Although addressed directly to the people of the State of New York, these documents were more broadly making the case for the Constitution to all the states.
This slender volume contains several of the most important of the Federalist Papers, including the introductory one and various arguments from history (especially that of deliberative bodies in governance) and from analogies of the various states' legislatures and chief executives. It's very dense reading, and as a result deserves several readings: one to get the broad strokes, and subsequent ones to capture the finer points, particularly the scholarly references from a time when it was simply assumed that an educated man would have a strong background in the classics of ancient Greece and Rome.
* First Secretary of the Treasury and the titular protagonist of the musical Hamilton (although in history he was much less the populist that he is implied to be in it)
** Fourth President, he led the defense of Washington DC during the War of 1812 while his First Lady, Dolly Madison, rescued as much of the furnishings of the Executive Mansion before it was burned (the white paint that subsequently covered the damage to the walls leading to the name White House).
*** First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
The Federalist Papers were a series of publications in which several of the Framers (Alexander Hamilton*, James Madison**, and John Jay***) argued the case for the Constitution during the period in which the states were debating whether to ratify it. Although addressed directly to the people of the State of New York, these documents were more broadly making the case for the Constitution to all the states.
This slender volume contains several of the most important of the Federalist Papers, including the introductory one and various arguments from history (especially that of deliberative bodies in governance) and from analogies of the various states' legislatures and chief executives. It's very dense reading, and as a result deserves several readings: one to get the broad strokes, and subsequent ones to capture the finer points, particularly the scholarly references from a time when it was simply assumed that an educated man would have a strong background in the classics of ancient Greece and Rome.
* First Secretary of the Treasury and the titular protagonist of the musical Hamilton (although in history he was much less the populist that he is implied to be in it)
** Fourth President, he led the defense of Washington DC during the War of 1812 while his First Lady, Dolly Madison, rescued as much of the furnishings of the Executive Mansion before it was burned (the white paint that subsequently covered the damage to the walls leading to the name White House).
*** First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
August 7, 2023
I think some of the other reviews are misunderstanding the purpose of this book. This book is part of the "Civics Classics" series, which aims to help lay Americans become more informed about their country's founding values. Accordingly, it omits all but the most important essays from the Federalist Papers.
I'm glad I bought this instead of a complete edition. The full Federalist Papers are hard reading, and a good number of the essays they include are no longer relevant to our politics today. I myself abandoned multiple attempts before finding the "Civic Classics" edition. This book is just what I wanted and expected when I bought it, namely a solidly chosen selection from the Papers.
The chosen essays do a good job of showing how powerful the Founding Fathers were as political theorists, and they illuminate questions I had had previously about why the Constitution was set up the way it was. For instance, have you ever wondered why we have both a Senate and a House of Representatives, with different age requirements and terms in office? Do you know why the executive branch is headed by a single President (and not by multiple officers)? Could you explain why the Founding Fathers thought Supreme Court Justices should serve for life? All of these questions and more are answered in this book, in the Fathers' own words.
I cannot rate this book a full five stars, because it does not completely live up to its promise as a guide for laypeople like myself. Although there is an introductory essay by a historian, the selected Papers themselves are simply presented without any contemporary commentary (exactly like you would find them on Project Gutenberg). This is not fatal to the value of the book, but I do think it's an error given the stated purpose of the "Civic Classics" series.
Overall, this is a good introduction to the Papers for non-scholars, and I would recommend it for that purpose.
I'm glad I bought this instead of a complete edition. The full Federalist Papers are hard reading, and a good number of the essays they include are no longer relevant to our politics today. I myself abandoned multiple attempts before finding the "Civic Classics" edition. This book is just what I wanted and expected when I bought it, namely a solidly chosen selection from the Papers.
The chosen essays do a good job of showing how powerful the Founding Fathers were as political theorists, and they illuminate questions I had had previously about why the Constitution was set up the way it was. For instance, have you ever wondered why we have both a Senate and a House of Representatives, with different age requirements and terms in office? Do you know why the executive branch is headed by a single President (and not by multiple officers)? Could you explain why the Founding Fathers thought Supreme Court Justices should serve for life? All of these questions and more are answered in this book, in the Fathers' own words.
I cannot rate this book a full five stars, because it does not completely live up to its promise as a guide for laypeople like myself. Although there is an introductory essay by a historian, the selected Papers themselves are simply presented without any contemporary commentary (exactly like you would find them on Project Gutenberg). This is not fatal to the value of the book, but I do think it's an error given the stated purpose of the "Civic Classics" series.
Overall, this is a good introduction to the Papers for non-scholars, and I would recommend it for that purpose.
February 4, 2021
The best and worst aspects of this edition can both be attributed to it being an abridged selection of the full 85 essays. I think it serves as a modest selection that saves many readers from being plunged into deep waters of arguments against the articles of confederation that have little relevance today. Combine that with the challenging language of the day, and this selection is a concentrated dose of what makes the federalist papers worth reading.
Of course, by omitting more than 3/4 of the essays, this is a largely inadequate rendering of the body of work. Many of the selections are part of small series of essays that work to illustrate one larger concept treated over many smaller points. In most cases, this book only provides one of a given series—and usually somewhere in the middle. This tends to transport the reader into the middle of an argument already underway placing the burden of acquiring context on the reader.
The value of this abridged selection of the Federalist papers is in providing a concentrated taste of what makes this body of work meaningful to our country’s political philosophy.
Of course, by omitting more than 3/4 of the essays, this is a largely inadequate rendering of the body of work. Many of the selections are part of small series of essays that work to illustrate one larger concept treated over many smaller points. In most cases, this book only provides one of a given series—and usually somewhere in the middle. This tends to transport the reader into the middle of an argument already underway placing the burden of acquiring context on the reader.
The value of this abridged selection of the Federalist papers is in providing a concentrated taste of what makes this body of work meaningful to our country’s political philosophy.
August 19, 2023
The only reason this gets four stars from me is because of how much is missing. This is a hard read. Every now and then, I like to read books that are objectively very challenging because it’s a learning experience. I have always loved history, especially the history of American politics and government. I have very complex feelings towards today’s America, and I actually read this after I moved abroad. Some of the essays are genuinely chilling and saddening when you read what the founder’s warned of and you see how a lot of America’s current problems are a domino effect of exactly what they said will happen. But yeah. I guess I should have read more about this copy before I bought it, but I just wish it was the complete collection.
July 22, 2023
I appreciated the Series Introduction and the book's Introduction. It was inspirational and gave the rationale for the Federalist Papers they chose to include. While The Federalist Papers are 5 stars in regard to their importance to the ratification of our constitution, they are a bit of a "snoozer" to read today!
July 28, 2020
I mean, it's history so how do you not give it 5 stars? A great compilation of the papers but extremely difficult to understand. I'm shocked at how far backward our writing and reading standards have traveled in the last 230 years... quite depressing.
May 15, 2021
Really like these editions. Kind of bummed this one wasn't annotated like the Declaration of Independence one but still really nicely put together. Seems like a fairly comprehensive collection of the papers.
February 28, 2023
A bit dry and the style is old fashioned. That is to say the style is from the peak period for written correspondence. The arguments laid out here are still relevant and it is a damned shame that more people don't know them.
May 13, 2024
Only read if you’re a MEGA fan of US history (like i unfortunately am).
One thing I didn’t expect? How exasperated the Founding Fathers sound when they’re making their arguments. “Please for the love of God ratify this Constitution”.
One thing I didn’t expect? How exasperated the Founding Fathers sound when they’re making their arguments. “Please for the love of God ratify this Constitution”.
Want to read
May 30, 202110, 47-51 - Мадисън
Ами мъка са началото (Макиавели) и краят на семестъра, но ще го кажа по Стоунс:
Who wants The Federalist Papers
Nobody in the world
Ами мъка са началото (Макиавели) и краят на семестъра, но ще го кажа по Стоунс:
Who wants The Federalist Papers
Nobody in the world
December 12, 2021
Very helpful in understanding how the Constitution was intended to operate. I learned a lot.
July 26, 2022
The basis in parts from which our government was formed.
For me, the read was as slow as molasses. I think the prose, though interesting, may have had something to do with it. 😊
For me, the read was as slow as molasses. I think the prose, though interesting, may have had something to do with it. 😊
July 9, 2023
If you live in the United States, you need to read this book. It is essential to understanding our government foundation and rights.
April 7, 2024
If you want to read all of the federalist papers, this book only has 10 of the ones Alexander Hamilton wrote, 8 of the ones James Madison wrote, and 1 of the ones John Jay wrote.
June 17, 2025
🇺🇸🦅!!!
yeah it’s pretty obvious which of our elected officials have or have not read the U.S. constitution lol
yeah it’s pretty obvious which of our elected officials have or have not read the U.S. constitution lol
March 31, 2018
This edition of The Federalist Papers, under the Penguin Civic Classics series, is an abridged version. It consists only of essay 1, 6, 9, 10, 14, 23, 39, 45, 46, 47, 48, 51, 62, 63, 64, 70, 78, 84, and 85. Richard Beeman, editor of this particular version and the overall Penguin Civic Classics, said that he selected these particular essays as they have outlived their original partisan purpose and come to explain the principles of American constitutionalism.
Besides these essays, there is also a series introduction and a introduction to the book. Additionally, scattered throughout the essays, are notes made by the original authors (i.e. Hamilton, Madison, or Jay). This particular book does not include further explanatory notes from Richard Beeman.
Most of the time, the essays are easily understandable. However, every now and then, there will be the appearance of archaic spelling of words and lengthy sentences - all of which could prove a bit challenging for the modern, layback reader, like me.
Moving on to the content of the essays. Even though this is an abridged version of the Papers, nonetheless, the book still covers a wide range of topics regarding the adoption of the then proposed constitution and the establishment of federalism in America. As a preview, the following topics are covered:
- Importance of unifying the 13 States into a single Union
- Difference between a democracy and a republic organised into a federation
- Ability of a republic system to safeguard itself against tyranny of the majority and any other depostic ideas
- Dominance of State legislatures over the National legislature
- Separation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches
- Examination of the nature and the need of a Senate
- Nature of the executive branch
- Nature of the judicial branch
A key takeaway I gained, is that the current US political gridlock could be interpreted as an evidence of the federal system, advocated in these essays, resisting against what certain section of the US population perceived as bad/despotic ideas.
For it was mentioned/implied by Madison, in essay 10 and 51, that republics safeguard themselves against despotic ideas by ensuring they include a large population. With a large electoral population, and an accordingly wide variety of opinions and interests, there will never be a group large enough to trample over others and implement their despotic (or beneficial) ideas.
Besides these essays, there is also a series introduction and a introduction to the book. Additionally, scattered throughout the essays, are notes made by the original authors (i.e. Hamilton, Madison, or Jay). This particular book does not include further explanatory notes from Richard Beeman.
Most of the time, the essays are easily understandable. However, every now and then, there will be the appearance of archaic spelling of words and lengthy sentences - all of which could prove a bit challenging for the modern, layback reader, like me.
Moving on to the content of the essays. Even though this is an abridged version of the Papers, nonetheless, the book still covers a wide range of topics regarding the adoption of the then proposed constitution and the establishment of federalism in America. As a preview, the following topics are covered:
- Importance of unifying the 13 States into a single Union
- Difference between a democracy and a republic organised into a federation
- Ability of a republic system to safeguard itself against tyranny of the majority and any other depostic ideas
- Dominance of State legislatures over the National legislature
- Separation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches
- Examination of the nature and the need of a Senate
- Nature of the executive branch
- Nature of the judicial branch
A key takeaway I gained, is that the current US political gridlock could be interpreted as an evidence of the federal system, advocated in these essays, resisting against what certain section of the US population perceived as bad/despotic ideas.
For it was mentioned/implied by Madison, in essay 10 and 51, that republics safeguard themselves against despotic ideas by ensuring they include a large population. With a large electoral population, and an accordingly wide variety of opinions and interests, there will never be a group large enough to trample over others and implement their despotic (or beneficial) ideas.
July 3, 2017
"Alexander joins forces with James Madison and John Jay to write a series
of essays defending the new United States Constitution,
entitled The Federalist Papers.
The plan was to write a total of twenty-five essays,
the work divided evenly among the three men. In the end,
they wrote eighty-five essays,
in the span of six months. John Jay got sick after writing five.
James Madison wrote twenty-nine. Hamilton wrote the other fifty-one!"
Okay, what would The Federalist Papers be without quoting some Hamilton? For real, many of us were brought here BECAUSE of Hamilton so it only seems fitting. Anyway, today it seems hard to imagine that at one time the Constitution was not only a revolutionary, but also a controversial idea. With factions fighting to prevent another monarchy from creeping into the new nation, the Federalist Papers were written, anonymously, by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay to convince the nation that uniting the states under a Federal system, with rights divided and defined between the state and federal levels, was the best plan for creating a new nation. All of the papers are beautifully written, written earnestly in hopes of assuaging the fears of a Federal system through highlighting the positives and disproving the negatives of the Constitution. These papers provided the emphasis our forefathers needed to establish our nation as we know it, so it is something to be thankful for!
Be advised though, these are not ALL of the papers written, but a selection of the ones that were published. Most of the ones provided were Hamilton's and Madison's, with only one of Jay's five making the cut.
of essays defending the new United States Constitution,
entitled The Federalist Papers.
The plan was to write a total of twenty-five essays,
the work divided evenly among the three men. In the end,
they wrote eighty-five essays,
in the span of six months. John Jay got sick after writing five.
James Madison wrote twenty-nine. Hamilton wrote the other fifty-one!"
Okay, what would The Federalist Papers be without quoting some Hamilton? For real, many of us were brought here BECAUSE of Hamilton so it only seems fitting. Anyway, today it seems hard to imagine that at one time the Constitution was not only a revolutionary, but also a controversial idea. With factions fighting to prevent another monarchy from creeping into the new nation, the Federalist Papers were written, anonymously, by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay to convince the nation that uniting the states under a Federal system, with rights divided and defined between the state and federal levels, was the best plan for creating a new nation. All of the papers are beautifully written, written earnestly in hopes of assuaging the fears of a Federal system through highlighting the positives and disproving the negatives of the Constitution. These papers provided the emphasis our forefathers needed to establish our nation as we know it, so it is something to be thankful for!
Be advised though, these are not ALL of the papers written, but a selection of the ones that were published. Most of the ones provided were Hamilton's and Madison's, with only one of Jay's five making the cut.
September 5, 2017
I am glad to have read the introduction to this book and understood the historical context for it. At a time when the colonies were bound only by the Articles of Confederation and what is now the Constitution was then just a proposition for their review, these three authors used the power of the pen to fight to defend it against its detractors. Sounds like the subject of a great non-fiction book or a documentary. However, although Madison is the strongest of the three writers, none are all that inspirational in their rhetoric. I found the text dull and historic in the worst possible meaning of the term. A far more entertaining and enlightening read is Common Sense. I have now read 5/6 of this Civic Classics series and look forward to finish it by checking out American Political Speeches. Of the five I have read, I'd give the strongest recommendation to Supreme Court Decisions. These decisions, both past and present, paint the clearest picture of what it means to be American, what the experiment is all about, where it has failed, and where it has succeeded.
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