Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, RWTH Aachen University, course: American Non-Fiction, language: English, abstract: The eighty-five essays, today commonly referred to as The Federalist Papers, were written in 1787 and 1788 in order to help in securing the ratification of the proposed United States Constitution in the State of New York. Although the essays were all signed Publius, they were written by three men of different background and, to some extent, different political ideas. John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison have contributed to the Papers in different quantity. Due to an illness Jay has contributed only five articles. Hamilton’s and Madison’s contributions are not always easy to separate but most scholars ascribe twenty-nine articles to Madison and fifty-one to Hamilton. The authorship of essays “18-20, 49-58, and 62-63 was the subject of heated historical controversy for more than a century and a half, because both Hamilton and Madison allegedly claimed authorship of these essays.” The object of this paper is to analyze the rhetorical approach of Madison and Hamilton in selected papers. Also, an attempt will be made to determine if, and to what extent their rhetorical style and political ideas are distinguishable even under the joint guise of Publius. The analysis will be undertaken on the examples of four selected papers – No. 10, 54, 84 and 85, which were chosen as representatives of the respective author’s style, since a detailed analysis of all 85 papers would be to extensive for a term paper. Contributions by John Jay are deliberately left out since they consist of only 5 papers which are arguably among the less important ones. Federalist No.10 was chosen as the most famous of Madison’s contributions due to its prominence within the scholarly debate and the prevailing significance of the problem discussed in the essay – the dangers or factions within a republic system. No. 54 was chosen as an example of disputed authorship and due to its treatment of the complex problem of slavery in regard to the number of Representatives of Southern States. A special interest lies in the author’s approach to distinguish the slaves status of being ‘people’ and ‘property’ at the same time. No. 84 was chosen due to Hamilton’s interesting rhetorical treatment of and political stance on the bill of rights. No. 85 was chosen because of its importance as a conclusion to the complete work and arguments of the whole body of texts. [...]

The Federalist Papers are a collection of eighty-five articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in favor of ratifying the United States Constitution. First appearing in 1787 as a series of letters to New York newspapers, this collective body of work is widely considered to be among the most important historical collections of all time. Although the authors of The Federalist Papers foremost intended to influence the vote in favor of ratifying the Constitution, in Federalist No. 1 Hamilton explicitly set their debate in broader political terms. “It has been frequently remarked,” he wrote, “that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force." Among the many highlights of these acclaimed essays is Federalist No. 10, in which Madison discusses the means of preventing rule by majority faction and advocates for a large, commercial republic. This is generally regarded as the most important of the eighty-five essays from a philosophical perspective, and it is complemented by Federalist No. 14, in which Madison takes the measure of the United States, declares it appropriate for an extended republic, and concludes with a memorable defense of the Constitution. In Federalist No. 70, Hamilton advocates for a one-man chief executive, and in Federalist No. 78 he persuasively lays the groundwork for the doctrine of judicial review by federal courts. Though centuries old, these timeless essays remain the benchmark of American political philosophy. As eloquently stated by famed historian Richard B. Morris, The Federalist Papers serve as an "incomparable exposition of the Constitution, a classic in political science unsurpassed in both breadth and depth by the product of any later American writer."

The new edition of THE FEDERALIST PAPERS edited by Clinton Rossiter and co. is probably the best paperback edition. THE FEDERALIST PAPERS alone are an important source of serious political thinking. In an age of almost unbridled political power, corruption, empire buidling, etc. THE FEDERALIST PAPERS are important reminder of what a Free Republic (not an empire) should be. THE FEDERALIST PAPERS were written by Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804), John Jay (1745-1829), and James Madison (1751-1835). Due to concerns about the New York State legislators ratifying the The U.S. Constitution, these papers were journal pieces written to New York journals and newspapers to convince both the residents and state legislators to ratify The U.S. Constitution. One should note there were other published articles supporting ratification of The U.S. Constitution and other articles can be read in a text titled FRIENDS OF THE CONSTITUTION. What is alarming about THE FEDERALISTS PAPERS is that they were written for most readers. If one were to write such articles these days, most Americans would not read them nor comprehend them. This is a sad commentary on Americans regarding serious political writing regarding their birthright. If THE FEDERALIST PAPERS were assigned to high school kids, whoever would make such an assignment would be fired or worse. THE FEDERALIST PAPERS give important explanations of the separation of powers, limits of each branch of the central government (The Federal Government), and how political power should be used within severe limitations. These articles were a brilliant attempt to mitigate fears that The U.S. Constitution would give far too much power to the the central or federal government. The late Clinton Rossiter had a useful suggestion for those who did not want to read all 85 of THE FEDERALIST PAPERS. He suggested that the best numbers were 1,2,6,9,10, 14, 15, 16,23, 37, 39,47, 49, 51, 62, 70, 78, 84, and 85. Those readers who read these numbered papers would probably want to read the remainder. Readers should not forget that the authors of THE FEDERALIST PAPERS were responding to the Anti-Federalists and their articles titled THE ANTI-FEDERALIST PAPERS. Too often the Anti-Federalists are referred to as obstrcutionists and narrow minded men. This is simply not true. The ANTI-FEDERALIST PAPERS were as well written and brilliantly argued as THE FEDERALIST PAPERS. One should note that one of the major objections of the Anti-Federalists to ratification of The U.S. Constitution was that it did not contain a Bill of Rights. The Federalists took this argument seriously. Basically, one could argue that without the Anti-Federalists, there would have been no Bill of Rights. Ergo, without The Bill of Rights, there would have been no U.S. Constitution. The Anti-Federalists were very important in the ratification of The U.S. Constitution. Anyone who wants to define who Americans should be should read THE FEDERALIST PAPERS. They should also read THE ANTI-FEDERALIST PAPERS and read clear, informed, and well written political theory from men who could actually think. Most political hacks and too many American citizens are not even vaguely aware of this important political writing. Yet, this political writing is the very best American political thinking in U.S. History. Highly recommended, this edition of THE FEDERALIST PAPERS.

The Federalist Papers are a series of 85 articles advocating the ratification of the United States Constitution. Seventy-seven of the essays were published serially in The Independent Journal and The New York Packet between October 1787 and August 1788. A compilation of these and eight others, called The Federalist, was published in 1788 by J. and A. McLean.The Federalist Papers serve as a primary source for interpretation of the Constitution, as they outline the philosophy and motivation of the proposed system of government. The authors of the Federalist Papers wanted to both influence the vote in favor of ratification and shape future interpretations of the Constitution. According to historian Richard B. Morris, they are an "incomparable exposition of the Constitution, a classic in political science unsurpassed in both breadth and depth by the product of any later American writer."

The Federalist Papers contain some of the greatest political writing of all time. Written to New Yorkers in 1787 and 1788 to urge the ratification of the proposed new Constitution, the papers received immediate respect. They were published in book form in 1788 and had considerable influence in both the New York and Virginia ratifying conventions, serving as a source of philosophies and arguments in both those crucial states. The papers were originally composed as letters sent to and published in New York newspapers. The authors of the papers, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, wrote under the single pseudonym of Publius. By obscuring their true identities (a common approach of the time), the authors could make their arguments without any of the political baggage attached to their own names. Thomas Jefferson later wrote that The Federalist Papers were "the best commentary on the principles of government . . . ever written." Subsequent historians have agreed. For example, Clinton Rossiter wrote, "No more eloquent, tough-minded and instructive answers have ever been given by an American pen. . . . The message of The Federalist reads: no happiness without liberty, no liberty without self-government, no self-government without constitutionalism, no constitutionalism without morality-and none of these great goods without stability and order." The Federalist Papers contains cogent arguments, deep insights, and timeless political philosophies that help readers and thinkers of the twenty-first century more fully understand the marvelous government provided for in the Constitution of the United States of America. This edition contains the very best of the Federalist Papers. Newly designed and typeset in a 6-by-9-inch format by Waking Lion Press.

The Federalist Papers are a series of 85 articles advocating the ratification of the United States Constitution. Seventy-seven of the essays were published serially in The Independent Journal and The New York Packet between October 1787 and August 1788. A compilation of these and eight others, called The Federalist, was published in 1788 by J. and A. McLean.The Federalist Papers serve as a primary source for interpretation of the Constitution, as they outline the philosophy and motivation of the proposed system of government. The authors of the Federalist Papers wanted to both influence the vote in favor of ratification and shape future interpretations of the Constitution. According to historian Richard B. Morris, they are an "incomparable exposition of the Constitution, a classic in political science unsurpassed in both breadth and depth by the product of any later American writer."

The Federalist Papers are a collection of eighty-five articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in favor of ratifying the United States Constitution. First appearing in 1787 as a series of letters to New York newspapers, this collective body of work is widely considered to be among the most important historical collections of all time. Although the authors of The Federalist Papers foremost intended to influence the vote in favor of ratifying the Constitution, in Federalist No. 1 Hamilton explicitly set their debate in broader political terms. "It has been frequently remarked," he wrote, "that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force."

The U.S. Library of Congress presents the full text of "Federalist Number 85" of the "Federalist Papers." American politician Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) wrote the essay, which was published in "McLEAN'S Edition, New York." The series of essays was published anonymously between October 1787 and May 1788 in order to encourage New Yorkers to ratify the proposed U.S. Constitution.

A multidisciplinary index covering the journal literature of the arts and humanities. It fully covers 1,144 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals, and it indexes individually selected, relevant items from over 6,800 major science and social science journals.

The Federalist Papers: Large Printby PubliusThe Federalist Papers are a series of 85 articles advocating the ratification of the United States Constitution. Seventy-seven of the essays were published serially in The Independent Journal and The New York Packet between October 1787 and August 1788. A compilation of these and eight others, called The Federalist, was published in 1788 by J. and A. McLean.