The Federalist Papers, and the United States Constitution

The eighty-five Federalist articles were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay; three Founding Fathers who together sought to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution. This definitive edition includes all 85 articles, and the text of the Constitution for ease of reference.

Introduced and passed into law between 1787 and 1788, these papers were influential in persuading the citizens of the states to ratify the United States Constitution. Most of the Federalist Papers are occupied directly or indirectly with the terms of the constitution, explaining and justifying how each was laid out. There is some diversion between the opinions expressed and events which followed - Hamilton, for example, was opposed to the notion of a Bill of Rights as he felt the original document provided enough protection for the citizenry. However, the Bill of Rights was eventually created in 1789 and ratified in 1791.