Colonial America
The Federalist, or Federalist Papers, was a series of 85 essays written to secure New York State ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Appearing under the pseudonym “A Citizen of New York” and “Publius,” most of the essays appeared first in a New York newspaper and later in the papers of other states. Alexander Hamilton is credited with the authorship of 51 of the treatises, James Madison with 14, and John Jay with five; historians still dispute whether Hamilton or Madison wrote the remaining 15. A two-volume collection of these writings was published in 1788. The pro-Constitution stance taken in the essays took on special urgency because of the perceived threat posed by Shays’ Rebellion, a matter of great concern to the wealthier segments of American society. The Federalist remains the most influential commentary on the fundamentals of republican government and is frequently cited in constitutional arguments today.
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