The Federalist Papers

Written between 1787 and 1788 by Alexander Hamilton, future U.S. President James Madison and future U.S. Supreme Court chief Justice John Jay, this collection of 85 articles and essays were written as an argument for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Seventy-seven of these essays were published serially in the Independent Journal, the New York Packet, and The Daily Advertiser between October 1787 and August 1788. A two-volume compilation of these and eight others was published in 1788 as The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, as Agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787. The collection was commonly known as The Federalist until the name The Federalist Papers emerged in the 20th century. A classic of political science marked by clear, eloquent prose, they serve as an excellent introduction to the Constitution.