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1-Page Summary of The Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers is a collection of essays written by three men: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. The papers were published in 1787-1788. They are called the Federalist Papers because they were written under the pen name Publius Valeria Publicola. This was done to defend the vote for ratification of the United States Constitution.
Of all the eighty-five essays in The Federalist, James Madison’s essay about factions is one of the most important. Factions are groups that act in their own interests instead of those of society at large. They can be destructive because they have more power than individuals and so can cause a lot of harm to people and property. While Madison dislikes factions, he acknowledges that they will always exist as long as there are different opinions among people. Therefore, it is better to control them or prevent them from having too much power by creating a republic (a form of government).
Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist No. 84, “Certain General and Miscellaneous Objections to the Constitution Considered and Answered,” is one of the most influential contributions to The Federalist Papers. In this essay, he argues that a Bill of Rights should not be added to the Constitution because it would limit people’s rights based on what was written down in it. He writes, “Why for instance, should it be said that ‘the liberty of the press shall not be restrained’ when no power is given by which restrictions may be imposed?” What he means here is that if a right isn’t specified in the Constitution then there are no limitations on its use; therefore why include what cannot happen? He believes that only those things allowable by our country’s constitution will occur.
These essays were written in response to the Anti-Federalist Papers, which argued against ratification of the Constitution. The Anti-Federalists wanted to keep more power with the states instead of giving it all to a central government. These writings helped influence the creation of our Bill of Rights, just as Federalist No. 84 influenced passage and implementation of our first ten amendments. Also like The Federalist Papers, these essays were published under pseudonyms; for example, Publius wrote under his pen name “Publius,” while Cato and Brutus wrote under their own names or pseudonyms such as “Cato” or “Brutus.” In Roman history (and eventually Greek history), Cato was a senator who opposed Julius Caesar’s rule, whereas Brutus was one who supported him until he became an emperor.
The Federalist Papers were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. The papers are a series of eighty-five essays about the U.S. Constitution that helped to influence public opinion in favor of ratification. Later on, all three men held influential roles in the new government: Hamilton was Secretary of Treasury; Madison was a Representative from Virginia and then Secretary of State; and Jay became Chief Justice and Governor for New York state.
In addition to the topics discussed in Federalist 10 and 84, The Federalist Papers also covered such topics as how the Confederacy would fail to preserve unity among states, why our government has enough energy to govern effectively, how our Constitution is similar to a state constitution, and what security it offers for both liberty and prosperity.
