Happy Birthday Federalist Papers!

Authors of The Federalist Papers

On October 27, 1787, the first in a series of eighty-five essays by “Publius,” the pen name of Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, appeared in the Independent Journal, a New York newspaper. Publius urged New Yorkers to support ratification of the Constitution approved by the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787.

An Easy Summary of the Topics in the Federalist Papers

• 1. Why the Constitution is needed
• 2–5. Why the United States must stay united
• 6–8. The dangers of fighting between states
• 9–10. How a large republic can protect freedom
• 11–13. Economic and military benefits of union
• 14. The U.S. is big but can still be well-governed
• 15–22. Problems with the Articles of Confederation
• 23–25. The need for national defense
• 26–28. Congress should control the military
• 29. The role of the state militias
• 30–36. The government needs power to collect taxes
• 37–38. How the Constitution was created
• 39. The Constitution is both national and federal
• 40–43. Powers of the national government
• 44. Limits on the powers of the states
• 45–46. Balance between state and federal power
• 47–51. Separation of powers and checks and balances
• 52–61. The House of Representatives
• 62–66. The Senate
• 67–77. The President and the executive branch
• 78–83. The courts and the judicial branch
• 84. Why a Bill of Rights was not included
• 85. Final argument for approving the Constitution

Federalist Papers and Their Main Topics

• 1. Introduction and importance of the Union
• 2–5. The need for unity and dangers of division (by John Jay)
• 6–7. Dangers from conflict between the states
• 8. Problems of war between independent states
• 9–10. The benefits of a large republic and control of factions (by Madison)
• 11–13. Economic and military advantages of union
• 14. Defending the size of the republic
• 15–22. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation (by Hamilton)
• 23–25. Need for national defense and standing armies
• 26–28. Power of the legislature over the military
• 29. The role of the militia
• 30–36. Federal powers of taxation and finance
• 37–38. Challenges in creating a balanced Constitution
• 39. The Constitution as both national and federal
• 40–43. Powers given to the national government
• 44. Limits on state powers
• 45–46. Relationship between state and federal governments
• 47–51. Separation of powers and checks and balances (famous section)
• 52–61. Structure and election of the House of Representatives
• 62–66. Structure and powers of the Senate
• 67–77. The powers of the President (executive branch)
• 78–83. The powers of the courts and the judicial branch (by Hamilton)
• 84. Why a Bill of Rights was not included in the Constitution
• 85. Conclusion and final argument for ratification

Learn more:

• LOC.gov Today in History: The Federalist Papers
• si.edu: Preparing for the Oath: 100:67 Federalist Papers

POP QUIZ

• USCIS 100: 67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution.  Name one of the writers.
• USCIS 128: 14. Many documents influenced the U.S. Constitution. Name one.
• USCIS 128:83. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.
• USCIS 128:84. Why were the Federalist Papers important?