The Federalist Papers

By Allison Jones

In 1787 the convention to rework the Articles of Confederation (the governing documents of the United States after the Revolution) resulted instead in an entirely new document called The Constitution.  Before it could have any force, it needed to be ratified by the states.  

“The friends of the new Constitution have been portrayed in some books as conservatives; but their actions looked radical to contemporaries,” writes Garry Wills, a historian and author.  New York was not in favor of the new Constitution, so Alexander Hamilton decided to write a series of articles defending and explaining the Constitution in an attempt to sway public opinion.   He recruited John Jay and James Madison to help him write the articles under the penname “Publius”.

While Hamilton did not succeed in making New York more likely to ratify the Constitution (it eventually did, but only because the enough other states had ratified it so that New York would be left on its own if it didn’t ratify it), “The Federalist” did provide the populous “with the most authoritative interpretation of the Constitution once it was adopted.”

The articles argue for the necessity of a central government, one powerful enough to actually get done what it is intended to do.  The separation of powers was based on function rather than societal class like the English Parliament.  Representation was intended to separate the government from mob rule; it separates the law from the factional interests of the public.

Currently judges use The Federalist Papers to see how contemporary people viewed the Constitution.  They allow modern readers to understand what the people who voted for and gave power to the document intended it to mean.  It is important for modern citizens to understand our government’s founding document.  How can we make wise choices when voting if we do not understand what are representatives are for?

The Local Review will feature an exploration of The Federalist papers and seek to explain what each means for us today.