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The Federalist Papers

Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay · 1788

A collection of 85 essays by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay urging ratification of the U.S. Constitution; Madison co-wrote many of the most famous essays.

Madison co-wrote these essays with Hamilton and Jay, authoring key papers like No. 10 and No. 51 before their later political split.

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Title page of the first edition of The Federalist, volume I, 1788, New York. Handwritten inscription at top reads 'For Mrs. Church from her Sister Elizabeth Hamilton'. Blue library stamp and pencil note 'Jefferson's copy' visible.
Publius [Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison], The Federalist, vol. I, 1788. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

The Federalist is a set of 85 essays published under the shared pen name 'Publius' between 1787 and 1788. They were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to persuade New York voters to ratify the new Constitution. The essays first appeared in newspapers and were later published as two bound volumes by J. and A. McLean in 1788.

Why it matters

Madison wrote some of the most influential essays, including No. 10 on preventing factions and No. 51 on checks and balances. The collection became a classic explanation of how the Constitution's government was designed to work, and shows the close partnership between Madison and Hamilton before they later became political rivals.

Look closer

  • Why did the authors write under a shared pseudonym instead of their own names?
  • What does the handwritten inscription and 'Jefferson's copy' note on this title page tell you about who owned and read it?
  • Why would explaining the Constitution to the public be necessary before it could be ratified?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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