The Federalist Papers
by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
Assigned by 5 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1787-1788
- Language
- English
- Length
- Long · 600 pp300 to 700 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Federalist PapersSignet Classics, 2003Clinton Rossiter's edition, with Charles Kesler's introduction and the Constitution appended; the cheap standard.
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Eighty-five newspaper essays published in New York in 1787 and 1788 under the name Publius to persuade the state to ratify the proposed Constitution. Hamilton wrote the majority, Madison about a third and Jay five. They argue for a strong union against the failures of the Articles of Confederation, defend the new government's powers over taxation and the military, and explain its structure. Madison's No. 10 argues that a large republic controls the mischiefs of faction, and No. 51 that ambition must be made to counteract ambition; Hamilton's No. 78 defends judicial review.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Federalist Papers are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
