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The Federalist: A Collection of Essays
Written in favour of the new Constitution as agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay
To take effect, the Constitution had to be ratified by nine states. Hamilton initially planned 25 pro-Constitution essays, written by himself, James Madison, and John Jay, to appear anonymously in New York newspapers. Eventually 85 essays appeared (Hamilton wrote 51, Madison 29, and Jay 5). Historians credit these essays with turning the tide in favor of ratification in New York and elsewhere. In this Federalist, first of the series, Hamilton argues that "[n]othing less than the existence of the UNION... the fate of an empire" is at stake. |