Federalist Papers

National Collegiate Honor’s Council Partners in the Park Independence Hall Class of 2017 students at Federal Hall National Historic Park with NPS Ranger holding the American Museum printing of Alexander Hamilton's Federalist One.  – Primary Source Courtesy of www.Historic.us

Alexander Hamilton - John Jay - James Madison

 THE FEDERALIST 

Forgotten Founders Corporation  Copyright © Stan Klos, President Who? Forgotten Founders 2004 & 2008 

The Federalist Papers, a seminal collection of 85 essays, were authored by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to advocate for the ratification of the United States Constitution. Written under the pseudonym "Publius," these essays were published between October 1787 and August 1788 in New York newspapers, including The Independent Journal and The New York Packet, addressing an audience deeply engaged in the debates surrounding the Constitution’s adoption. These essays not only targeted New York’s ratification conventions but also sought to influence the broader national discourse on governance and constitutional design.

In 1788, John and Andrew M’Lean compiled the essays into a two-volume collection titled The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favor of the New Constitution, as Agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787. This edition, printed in New York, was the first to present the essays in a comprehensive format, ensuring their arguments reached a wider audience and achieved enduring influence. These volumes helped to crystallize the case for the Constitution’s structure, enabling greater accessibility and contributing significantly to constitutional scholarship.

The essays’ central aim was to persuade the people of New York to support the newly proposed Constitution. To this end, they provided a robust defense of its provisions while addressing criticisms raised by Anti-Federalists, who feared an overly powerful central government. Key themes in The Federalist Papers include:

1. The Structure and Powers of the Federal Government: The essays emphasized the necessity of a strong yet balanced federal framework, arguing that the Constitution’s provisions established a national government capable of effectively managing collective issues while respecting state sovereignty. [1]

2. The System of Checks and Balances: The authors highlighted the importance of dividing government powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, ensuring no single entity could dominate, thereby safeguarding liberty and preventing tyranny. [2]

3. Federalism and the Division of Power: The proposed balance between federal and state governments was presented as essential to maintaining local autonomy while ensuring national unity and effective governance. [3]

4. Protection of Individual Rights: Although the Constitution originally lacked a Bill of Rights, the essays argued that its structure inherently protected freedoms. This assurance helped to pave the way for the later adoption of explicit rights in the first ten amendments. [4]

The use of the pseudonym "Publius" allowed the authors to prioritize their arguments over personal reputations or political affiliations. Nonetheless, authorship is now well-established:

• Alexander Hamilton wrote 51 essays, tackling topics like taxation, military defense, and the judiciary’s role within the federal system. [5]
• James Madison contributed 29 essays, focusing on the necessity of a strong union, the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation, and the theoretical underpinnings of federalism. [6]
• John Jay authored 5 essays, concentrating on foreign policy and the need for unity in managing international relations. [7]

The Federalist Papers continue to be foundational texts in American political philosophy and constitutional interpretation. They are frequently cited in judicial opinions and academic analyses, offering insight into the framers’ intentions and the principles underpinning American governance. Their enduring relevance lies in their comprehensive exploration of constitutional theory, making them indispensable for understanding the original vision of the United States Constitution and its application to contemporary governance challenges.

---

#	Title	Author	Publication	Date
1	General  Introduction	Hamilton	Independent Journal	October 27, 1787
2	Part I: Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence	Jay	Independent Journal	October 31, 1787
3	Part II: Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence	Jay	Independent Journal	November 3, 1787
4	Part III: Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence	Jay	Independent Journal	November 7, 1787
5	Part IV: Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence	Jay	Independent Journal	November 10, 1787
6	Part I: Concerning Dangers from Dissensions Between the States	Hamilton	Independent Journal	November 14, 1787
7	Part II: Concerning Dangers from Dissensions Between the States	Hamilton	Independent Journal	November 15, 1787
8	The Consequences of Hostilities Between the States	Hamilton	NY Packet	November 20, 1787
9	Part I: The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection	Hamilton	Independent Journal	November 21, 1787
10	Part II: The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection	Madison	NY Packet	November 23, 1787
11	The Utility of the Union in Respect to Commercial Relations and a Navy	Hamilton	Independent Journal	November 24, 1787
12	The Utility of the Union in Respect to Revenue	Hamilton	NY Packet	November 27, 1787
13	Advantage of the Union in Respect to Economy in Government	Hamilton	Independent Journal	November 28, 1787
14	Objections to the Proposed Constitution from Extent of Territory Answered	Madison	NY Packet	November 30, 1787
15	Part I: The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union	Hamilton	Independent Journal	December 1, 1787
16	Part II: The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union	Hamilton	Independent Journal	December 4, 1787
17	Part III: The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union	Hamilton	Independent Journal	December 5, 1787
18	Part IV: The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union	Hamilton & Madison	Independent Journal	December 7, 1787
19	Part V: The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union	Hamilton & Madison	Independent Journal	December 8, 1787
20	Part VI: The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union	Hamilton & Madison	NY Packet	December 11, 1787
21	Part I: Other Defects of the Present Confederation	Hamilton	Independent Journal	December 11, 1787
22	Part II: Other Defects of the Present Confederation	Hamilton	NY Packet	December 14, 1787
23	The Necessity of a Government as Energetic as the One Proposed to the Preservation of the Union	Hamilton	NY Packet	December 17, 1787
24	Part I: The Powers Necessary to the Common Defense Further Considered	Hamilton	Independent Journal	December 18, 1787
25	Part II: The Powers Necessary to the Common Defense Further Considered	Hamilton	NY Packet	December 21, 1787
26	Part I: The Idea of Restraining the Legislative Authority in Regard to the Common Defense Considered	Hamilton	Independent Journal	December 22, 1787
27	Part II: The Idea of Restraining the Legislative Authority in Regard to the Common Defense Considered	Hamilton	NY Packet	December 25, 1787
28	Part III: The Idea of Restraining the Legislative Authority in Regard to the Common Defense Considered	Hamilton	Independent Journal	December 25, 1787
29	Concerning the Militia	Hamilton	Daily Advertiser	January 10, 1788
30	Part I: Concerning the General Power of Taxation	Hamilton	NY Packet	December 28, 1787
31	Part II: Concerning the General Power of Taxation	Hamilton	NY Packet	January 1, 1788
32	Part III: Concerning the General Power of Taxation	Hamilton	Daily Advertiser	January 3, 1788
33	Part IV: Concerning the General Power of Taxation	Hamilton	Daily Advertiser	January 3, 1788
34	Part V: Concerning the General Power of Taxation	Hamilton	NY Packet	January 4, 1788
35	Part VI: Concerning the General Power of Taxation	Hamilton	Independent Journal	January 5, 1788
36	Part VII: Concerning the General Power of Taxation	Hamilton	NY Packet	January 8, 1788
37	Part I: Concerning the Difficulties of the Convention in Devising a Proper Form of Government	Madison	Daily Advertiser	January 11, 1788
38	Part II: Concerning the Difficulties of the Convention in Devising a Proper Form of Government and the Incoherence of the Objections to the New Plan Exposed	Madison	NY Packet	January 15, 1788
39	The Conformity of the Plan to Republican Principles	Madison	Independent Journal	January 18, 1788
40	The Powers of the Convention to Form a Mixed Government Examined and Sustained	Madison	NY Packet	January 18, 1788
41	General View of the Powers Conferred by the Constitution	Madison	Independent Journal	January 18, 1788
42	Part I: The Powers Conferred by the Constitution Further Considered	Madison	NY Packet	January 22, 1788
43	Part II: The Powers Conferred by the Constitution Further Considered	Madison	Independent Journal	January 23, 1788
44	Restrictions on the Authority of the Several States	Madison	NY Packet	January 25, 1788
45	The Alleged Danger Powers of the Union to the State Governments Considered	Madison	Independent Journal	January 26, 1788
46	The Influence of the State and Federal Governments Compared	Madison	NY Packet	January 29, 1788
47	The Particular Structure of the New Government and the Distribution of Power Among Its Different Parts	Madison	NY Packet	February 1, 1788
48	These Departments Should Not Be So Far Separated as to Have No Constitutional Control Over Each Other	Madison	NY Packet	February 1, 1788
49	Method of Guarding Against the Encroachments of Any One Department of Government by Appealing to the People Through a Convention	Hamilton or Madison	NY Packet	February 5, 1788
50	Periodic Appeals to the People Considered	Hamilton or Madison	NY Packet	February 5, 1788
51	The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments	Hamilton or Madison	NY Packet	February 8, 1788
52	Part I: The House of Representatives	Hamilton or Madison	NY Packet	February 8, 1788
53	Part II: The House of Representatives	Hamilton or Madison	NY Packet	February 12, 1788
54	The Apportionment of Members Among the States	Hamilton or Madison	NY Packet	February 12, 1788
55	Part I: The Total Number of the House of Representatives	Hamilton or Madison	NY Packet	February 15, 1788
56	Part II: The Total Number of the House of Representatives	Hamilton or Madison	NY Packet	February 19, 1788
57	The Alleged Tendency of the Plan to Elevate the Few at the Expense of the Many Considered in Connection with Representation	Hamilton or Madison	NY Packet	February 19, 1788
58	Objection that the Number of Members Will Not Be Augmented as the Progress of Population Demands Considered	Madison	NY Packet	February 20, 1788
59	Part I: Concerning the Power of Congress to Regulate the Election of Members	Hamilton	NY Packet	February 22, 1788
60	Part II: Concerning the Power of Congress to Regulate the Election of Members	Hamilton	NY Packet	February 26, 1788
61	Part III: Concerning the Power of Congress to Regulate the Election of Members	Hamilton	NY Packet	February 26, 1788
62	The Senate	Hamilton or Madison	Independent Journal	February 27, 1788
63	The Senate Continued	Hamilton or Madison	Independent Journal	March 1, 1788
64	The Powers of the Senate	Jay	NY Packet	March 7, 1788
65	The Powers of the Senate Continued	Hamilton	NY Packet	March 7, 1788
66	Objections to the Power of the Senate To Set as a Court for Impeachments Further Considered	Hamilton	NY Packet	March 11, 1788
67	The Executive Department	Hamilton	NY Packet	March 11, 1788
68	The Mode of Electing the President	Hamilton	NY Packet	March 14, 1788
69	The Real Character of the Executive	Hamilton	NY Packet	March 14, 1788
70	The Executive Department Further Considered	Hamilton	NY Packet	March 14, 1788
71	Part I: The Duration in Office of the Executive	Hamilton	NY Packet	March 18, 1788
72	Part II: Duration in Office of the Executive and Re-Eligibility of the Executive Considered	Hamilton	NY Packet	March 21, 1788
73	The Provision for Support of the Executive, and the Veto Power	Hamilton	NY Packet	March 21, 1788
74	The Command of the Military and Naval Forces, and the Pardoning Power of the Executive	Hamilton	NY Packet	March 25, 1788
75	The Treaty Making Power of the Executive	Hamilton	Independent Journal	March 26, 1788
76	The Appointing Power of the Executive	Hamilton	NY Packet	April 1, 1788
77	The Appointing Power Continued and Other Powers of the Executive Considered	Hamilton	NY Packet	April 4, 1788
78	The Judiciary Department	Hamilton	McLEAN's Edition, NY	May 28, 1788
79	The Judiciary Continued	Hamilton	McLEAN's Edition, NY	May 28, 1788
80	The Powers of the Judiciary	Hamilton	McLEAN's Edition, NY	June 21, 1788
81	The Judiciary Continued, and the Distribution of Judicial Authority	Hamilton	McLEAN's Edition, NY	June 25, 1788
82	The Judiciary Continued	Hamilton	McLEAN's Edition, NY	July 2, 1788
83	The Judiciary Continued in Relation to Trial by Jury	Hamilton	McLEAN's Edition, NY	July 5, 1788,
84	Certain General and Miscellaneous Objections to the Constitution Considered and Answered	Hamilton	McLEAN's Edition, NY	July 16, 1788,
85	Concluding Remarks	Hamilton	McLEAN's Edition, NY	August 13, 1788

Footnotes:

1. The Federalist Papers, No. 10, Madison’s discussion on the necessity of a large republic to control factions.
2. The Federalist Papers, No. 51, Hamilton’s detailed explanation of checks and balances.
3. The Federalist Papers, No. 39, Madison’s elaboration on the principles of federalism.
4. The Federalist Papers, No. 84, Hamilton’s reassurance regarding individual rights within the Constitution’s framework.
5. Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers, Nos. 23–29, on military and defense; Nos. 78–83, on the judiciary.
6. James Madison, The Federalist Papers, Nos. 10, 39–46, on the weaknesses of the Articles and benefits of a strong union.
7. John Jay, The Federalist Papers, Nos. 2–5, on the importance of a unified foreign policy.

The Congressional Evolution of the United States of America 

For students and teachers of U.S. history, this video features Stanley and Christopher Klos presenting America's Four United Republics Curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Filmed in December 2015, this video is an informal recording by an audience member capturing a presentation attended by approximately 200 students, professors, and guests. To explore the full curriculum, [download it here]. 

Continental Congress of the United Colonies Presidents 

Sept. 5, 1774 to July 1, 1776

Peyton Randolph	September 5, 1774	October 22, 1774
Henry Middleton	October 22, 1774	October 26, 1774
Peyton Randolph	May 20, 1775	May 24, 1775
John Hancock	May 25, 1775	July 1, 1776

Commander-in-Chief United Colonies & States of America

George Washington: June 15, 1775 - July 1, 1776

Continental Congress of the United States Presidents 
July 2, 1776 to February 28, 1781

John Hancock	July 2, 1776	October 29, 1777
Henry Laurens	November 1, 1777	December 9, 1778
John Jay	December 10, 1778	September 28, 1779
Samuel Huntington	September 29, 1779	February 28, 1781

Commander-in-Chief United States of America

George Washington: July 2, 1776 - February 28, 1781

Presidents of the United States in Congress Assembled
March 1, 1781 to March 3, 1789

Samuel Huntington	March 1, 1781	July 6, 1781
Samuel Johnston	July 10, 1781	Declined Office
Thomas McKean	July 10, 1781	November 4, 1781
John Hanson	November 5, 1781	November 3, 1782
Elias Boudinot	November 4, 1782	November 2, 1783
Thomas Mifflin	November 3, 1783	June 3, 1784
Richard Henry Lee	November 30, 1784	November 22, 1785
John Hancock	November 23, 1785	June 5, 1786
Nathaniel Gorham	June 6, 1786	February 1, 1787
Arthur St. Clair	February 2, 1787	January 21, 1788
Cyrus Griffin	January 22, 1788	January 21, 1789

Commander-in-Chief United States of America

George Washington: March 2, 1781 - December 23, 1783

Articles of Confederation Congress
United States in Congress Assembled (USCA) Sessions

USCA	Session Dates	USCA Convene Date	President(s)
First	03-01-1781 to 11-04-1781*	03-02-1781	Samuel Huntington &  Thomas McKean
Second	11-05-1781 to 11-03-1782	11-05-1781	John Hanson
Third	11-04-1782 to 11-02-1783	11-04-1782	Elias Boudinot
Fourth	11-03-1783 to 10-31-1784	11-03-1783	Thomas Mifflin
Fifth	11-01-1784 to 11-06-1785	11-29-1784	Richard Henry Lee
Sixth	11-07-1785 to 11-05-1786	11-23-1785	John Hancock &  Nathaniel Gorham
Seventh	11-06-1786 to 11-04-1787	02-02-1787	Arthur St. Clair
Eighth	11-05-1787 to 11-02-1788	01-21-1788	Cyrus Griffin
Ninth	11-03-1788 to 03-03-1789**	None	None

* The Articles of Confederation was ratified by the mandated 13th State on February 2, 1781, and the dated adopted by the Continental Congress to commence the new  United States in Congress Assembled government was March 1, 1781.  The USCA convened under the Articles of Confederation Constitution on March 2, 1781.  

** On September 14, 1788, the Eighth United States in Congress Assembled resolved that March 4th, 1789, would be commencement date of the Constitution of 1787's federal government thus dissolving the USCA on March 3rd, 1789.

Presidents of the United States of America

1789 - Present

POTUS - CLICK HERE

United Colonies and States First Ladies

1774 - Present

FLOTUS - CLICK HERE

Capitals of the United Colonies and States of America

Philadelphia	Sept. 5, 1774 to Oct. 24, 1774	City Tavern & Carpenter’s Hall
Philadelphia	May 10, 1775 to Dec. 12, 1776	Pennsylvania State House
Baltimore	Dec. 20, 1776 to Feb. 27, 1777	Henry Fite’s House
Philadelphia	March 4, 1777 to Sept. 18, 1777	Pennsylvania State House
Lancaster	September 27, 1777	Lancaster  Court House
York	Sept. 30, 1777 to June 27, 1778	York-town Court House
Philadelphia	July 2, 1778 to June 21, 1783	College Hall - PA State House
Princeton	June 30, 1783 to Nov. 4, 1783	Prospect House - Nassau Hall
Annapolis	Nov. 26, 1783 to Aug. 19, 1784	Maryland, State House
Trenton	Nov. 1, 1784 to Dec. 24, 1784	French Arms Tavern
New York City	Jan. 11, 1785 to Nov. 13, 1788	New York City Hall
New York City	October 6, 1788 to March 3,1789	Walter Livingston House
New York City	March 3,1789 to August 12, 1790	Federal Hall
Philadelphia	Dec. 6,1790 to May 14, 1800	Congress Hall
Washington DC	November 17,1800 to Present	Two US Capitol Buildings

Chart Comparing Presidential Powers - Click Here

Secure a unique primary source exhibit and a professional speaker for your next event by reaching out to Historic.us today. Serving a wide range of clients—including Fortune 500 companies, associations, nonprofits, colleges, universities, national conventions, and PR and advertising agencies—we are a premier national exhibitor of primary sources. Our engaging and educational historic displays are crafted to captivate and inform your audience, creating a memorable experience. Join our roster of satisfied clients and see how Historic.us can elevate your event. Contact us to explore options tailored to your audience and objectives!

Historic.us

A Non-profit Corporation

Primary Source Exhibits

Exhibit Inquiries

202-239-1774 | Office

Stan@Historic.us

Website: www.Historic.us

Edited: Open AI. (2024). ChatGPT [Large language model] - https://chatgpt.com