To persuade undecided New York state voters to ratify the new Constitution of the United States, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote 85 compelling essays, under the title The Federalist and signed "Publius," that appeared in New York City newspapers in 1787–1788. These far-reaching essays, which comprise a masterful exposition and defense of the proposed federal system of government and of the Constitution's carefully designed system of checks and balances, are today considered a keystone of American democracy. Their continuing relevance was demonstrated by the frequent references to Paper No. 65, "On Impeachments," during the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton. This volume contains 35 of the most famous and important pieces, including ones that deal with "dangers from foreign arms and influence"; with the need for a federal government able to raise revenues through taxation; with the creation of an electoral college; with freedom of the press and the inadvisability of a bill of rights; with the three-fifths rule for counting slaves; with the objectives and powers of the judiciary; and much else. Of lasting value and interest to students of American history and government, this carefully chosen selection will also fascinate any general reader curious about the history of the Constitution and the beginnings of American federalism.
Author
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information. American politician Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury of United States from 1789 to 1795, established the national bank and public credit system; a duel with Aaron Burr, his rival, mortally wounded him. One of the Founding Fathers, this economist and philosopher led calls for the convention at Philadelphia and as first Constitutional lawyer co-wrote the Federalist Papers , a primary source for Constitutional interpretation. During the Revolutionary War, he, born in the West Indies but educated in the north, joined the militia, which chose him artillery captain. Hamilton, senior aide-de-camp and confidant to George Washington, general, led three battalions at the siege of Yorktown. People elected him to the Continental congress, but he resigned to practice law and to found in New York. He served in the legislature of New York and later returned to Congress; at the convention in Philadelphia, only he signed the Constitution for New York. Under Washington, then president, he influenced formative government policy widely. Hamilton, an admirer of British, emphasized strong central government and implied powers, under which the new Congress funded and assumed the debts and created an import tariff and whiskey tax. A coalition, the formative Federalist Party, arose around Hamilton, and another coalition, the formative Democratic-Republican Party, arose around Thomas Jefferson and James Madison before 1792; these coalitions differed strongly over domestic fiscal goals and Hamiltonian foreign policy of extensive trade and friendly relations with Britain. Exposed in an affair with Maria Reynolds, Hamilton resigned to return to Constitutional law and advocacy of strong federalism. In 1798, the quasi-war with France led him to argue for an army, which he organized and commanded de facto. Opposition of Hamilton to John Adams, fellow Federalist, contributed to the success of Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, in the uniquely deadlocked election of 1800. With defeat of his party, his industrializing ideas lost their former prominence. In 1801, Hamilton founded the Federalist broadsheet New-York Evening Post, now known as the New York Post. His intensity with the vice-president eventually resulted in his death. After the war of 1812, Madison, Albert Gallatin, and other former opponents of the late Hamilton revived some of his federalizing programs, such as infrastructure, tariffs, and a standing Army and Navy. His Federalist and business-oriented economic visions for the country continue to influence party platforms to this day.
