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The Federalist Papers

The Federalist Papers

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  • Create Date：2021-11-16 19:21:13
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Alexander Hamilton
  • ISBN：0785839798
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Summary

The Federalist Papers is a collection of political essays in which three United States Founding Fathers intelligently and forcefully advocate the ratification of what became this country’s supreme law。

Written by the iconic American statesman， Alexander Hamilton， the original US chief justice， John Jay， and “Father of the Constitution” James Madison， this compilation of eighty-five articles explains and defends the ideals behind the highest form of law in the United States。

These essays were published anonymously in New York newspapers in 1787 and 1788， and they foresaw many of the headline-grabbing issues surrounding impeachment， corruption， bureaucracy， and regulation that we read about today。 Hailed by Thomas Jefferson as the best commentary ever written on the principles of government， The Federalist Papers are now available in this elegantly designed， unabridged hardcover edition with jacket that includes an introduction by American history scholar and author Andrew S。 Tree and a historical timeline at the back。

Revolutionary classics of political philosophy， these articles are essential reading for students， lawyers， politicians， and anyone with an interest in the formation of societies。

Essential volumes for the shelves of every classic literature lover， the Chartwell Classics series includes beautifully presented works and collections from some of the most important authors in literary history。 Chartwell Classics are the editions of choice for the most discerning literature buffs。
 
Other titles in the Chartwell Classics Series include: Complete Fiction of H。P。 Lovecraft; Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales; Complete Novels of Jane Austen; Complete Sherlock Holme; Complete Tales & Poems of Edgar Allen Poe; Complete Works of William Shakespeare; Divine Comedy; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Other Tales; The Essential Tales of H。P。 Lovecraft; The Inferno; The Call of the Wild and White Fang; Moby Dick; The Odyssey; Pride and Prejudice; The Essential Grimm’s Fairy Tales; Emma; The Great Gatsby; The Secret Garden; Anne of Green Gables; The Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe; The Phantom of the Opera; The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital; Republic; Frankenstein; Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea; The Picture of Dorian Gray; Meditations; Wuthering Heights; Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass; A Tales of Two Cities; Beowulf; The Strange Case of Dr。 Jekyll and Mr。 Hyde and Other Stories; Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Little Women
 

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Reviews

Taras Basiuk ，

TLDR: Must read for anyone interested in state-building。While reading it， one should consider that this is a collection of newspaper articles， not a book。 And it aims to persuade， not to inform。 So， everything stated in this work must be taken with a grain （or a fistful） of salt。 Nevertheless， the material covered in these articles is quite fascinating， albeit a challenging undertaking for a modern reader。 Being at an advantage of being armed with historical knowledge past the adoption of the Co TLDR: Must read for anyone interested in state-building。While reading it， one should consider that this is a collection of newspaper articles， not a book。 And it aims to persuade， not to inform。 So， everything stated in this work must be taken with a grain （or a fistful） of salt。 Nevertheless， the material covered in these articles is quite fascinating， albeit a challenging undertaking for a modern reader。 Being at an advantage of being armed with historical knowledge past the adoption of the Constitution， I disagree almost entirely with the authors on the need/advantages/disadvantages/risks of the federal government （although even they repeatedly admitted， that no matter the type of the government， wise/foolish citizens make all the difference）。The second half of the collection， dedicated to the logic encoded in the Constitution， is far more exciting and relevant， in my opinion。 Still， one read is not enough to reliably integrate everything said in the articles。 So I perhaps should listen to a series of lectures on the matter and give the book another annotated read （and reading the anti-federalists papers， of course）。 。。。more

Patrick Long ，

Tried to read it at 14， when I had no practical understanding of the concerns the founders faced in setting up a government， and it bored me to tears。 Gave it another shot at 33， with a more mature understanding of the difficulties inherent in setting up a government， and couldn't put it down。 Tried to read it at 14， when I had no practical understanding of the concerns the founders faced in setting up a government， and it bored me to tears。 Gave it another shot at 33， with a more mature understanding of the difficulties inherent in setting up a government， and couldn't put it down。 。。。more

Allyson ，

This was enlightening and not a light read at all。 There were many nuggets of wisdom that did not make good quotes because the ideas build on each other as you work through the papers。 I read this when I read the antifederalist papers， so there was a balanced look at what the active debate over what the constitution needed to include and why it needed to be adopted by all the states。

Carmelo Medina ，

Despues de leer la mayor parte del libro， el libro se va desinflando y pierde parte de su interés histórico。 Es como una especie de "cartas al director" para justificar la república。 Se nota que algunos autores le fueron poniendo menos "ganas" en la defensa y entraban a teorizar sobre todo lo que se les pasaba por la cabeza。 No veo cómo se puede usar este libro para dirimir dudas constitucionales。。。 En fin。 Despues de leer la mayor parte del libro， el libro se va desinflando y pierde parte de su interés histórico。 Es como una especie de "cartas al director" para justificar la república。 Se nota que algunos autores le fueron poniendo menos "ganas" en la defensa y entraban a teorizar sobre todo lo que se les pasaba por la cabeza。 No veo cómo se puede usar este libro para dirimir dudas constitucionales。。。 En fin。 。。。more

Mark Dickson ，

I believe all American citizens should have a copy of this and read the essays。 They were published in a chronological order but don't need to be read in that order。 Just read them。 I believe all American citizens should have a copy of this and read the essays。 They were published in a chronological order but don't need to be read in that order。 Just read them。 。。。more

Fraser Kinnear ，

If mankind were to resolve to agree in no institution of government， until every part of it had been adjusted to the most exact standard of perfection， society would soon become a general scene of anarchy， and the world a desert。 Where is the standard of perfection to be found？ Who will undertake to unite the discordant opinions of a whole community in the same judgment of it; and to prevail upon one conceited projector to renounce his infallible criterion for the fallible criterion of his more If mankind were to resolve to agree in no institution of government， until every part of it had been adjusted to the most exact standard of perfection， society would soon become a general scene of anarchy， and the world a desert。 Where is the standard of perfection to be found？ Who will undertake to unite the discordant opinions of a whole community in the same judgment of it; and to prevail upon one conceited projector to renounce his infallible criterion for the fallible criterion of his more conceited neighbor？ It's always much easier to criticize an existing plan than propose and defend one。 Why else do so many popular nonfiction books clearly diagnose a problem， then sheepishly propose a half-baked solution in the final chapter？ Why is transformative legislation so easy to campaign on， and so difficult to pass？ Madison， Hamilton， and Jay frequently express a kind of frustrated urgency in these essays， which sometimes hint at the white-knuckle， existential crisis that they must have been feeling themselves in after Shay’s Rebellion （which is even cited directly in one of the articles）: When the sword is once drawn， the passions of men observe no bounds of moderation。 The suggestions of wounded pride， the instigations of irritated resentment， would be apt to carry the States against which the arms of the Union were exerted to any extremes necessary to avenge the affront or to avoid the disgrace of submission。 The first war of this kind would probably terminate in a dissolution of the Union。This may be considered as the violent death of the Confederacy。 Its more natural death is what we now seem to be on the point of experiencing， if the federal system be not speedily renovated in a more substantial form。 The authors frequently cite prior knowledge， especially Montesquieu and Classical / Hellenistic Greece， for color， but normally argue from first principles for the design and expected implications of the Constitution: And if novelties are to be shunned， believe me， the most alarming of all novelties， the most wild of all projects， the most rash of all attempts， is that of rending us in pieces in order to preserve our liberties and promote our happiness。 But why is the experiment of an extended republic to be rejected merely because it may comprise what is new？ Is it not the glory of the people of America that， whilst they have paid a decent regard to the opinions of former times and other nations， they have not suffered a blind veneration for antiquity， for custom， or for names， to overrule the suggestions of their own good sense， the knowledge of their own situation， and the lessons of their own experience？ This seems to be in large part because the States， and these statesmen， had learned from experience when to rely on past authority， and when to ignore it:At first view， it might seem not to square with the republican theory to suppose either that a majority have not the right， or that a minority will have the force， to subvert a government; and consequently that the federal interposition can never be required but when it would be improper。 But theoretic reasoning， in this as in most other cases， must be qualified by the lessons of practice。 Of course， the majority of these essays are a point-by-point defense of the most contentious design trades going into the Constitution。 But I found the meta-level lesson of how leaders defend an idea in the moment to be the more interesting point of reading this book today。 And， perhaps best of all， is when you find a stray observation about human nature that you experience in your own life， and know that such human foibles were playing out at even as epic a scale as our own country’s constitutional crisis:Men often oppose a thing merely because they have had no agency in planning it， or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike。 But if they have been consulted， and have happened to disapprove， opposition then becomes， in their estimation， an indispensable duty of self-love。 They seem to think themselves bound in honor， and by all the motives of personal infallibility， to defeat the success of what has been resolved upon contrary to their sentiments。 。。。more

Robert Zeller ，

Well I had to slow down to read this one。 So many questions。 Such amazing thoughts。 We are so fortunate to have had such great thinkers to help set up our government and constitution。 So much made so much sense。 So sad that we do not have the same intellect in our leaders today。

Jordan Cotter ，

Very informing and insightful at times regarding the Constitution and it's intent and at other times laughable considering how it has all turned out。 Very informing and insightful at times regarding the Constitution and it's intent and at other times laughable considering how it has all turned out。 。。。more

James Fisher ，

The Federalist papers are collection of formative essay by multiple founding fathers，those of which are Hamilton， Jay， and Madison， that delve into the early Federalist ideology of the early 1800´s。 There driving force to place this feeling is the shays rebellion were they could not put it down。The main problems mentioned in the book are The inability to sustain a standing Army，Couldn't raise taxes and regulated trade。Though I believe for a smaller Federal Government this was very much lesser th The Federalist papers are collection of formative essay by multiple founding fathers，those of which are Hamilton， Jay， and Madison， that delve into the early Federalist ideology of the early 1800´s。 There driving force to place this feeling is the shays rebellion were they could not put it down。The main problems mentioned in the book are The inability to sustain a standing Army，Couldn't raise taxes and regulated trade。Though I believe for a smaller Federal Government this was very much lesser than the current large government there great reasons and quotes for bigger government。 One of my favorite quotes from the books is“The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed。”― Alexander Hamilton， The Federalist Papers as it obviously is in review of the 2nd amendment but also to the 1st and all of the amendments and I am a firm believer in the constitution。The Themes are rather harmonious as they are more of a collection of stories but there are a sparse few。 These are somewhat but not limited to exemption of the norms as the political experiment is an exemption from the norm as the norm is a Monarchy/Oligarchy and america is none of these things。 As well as that is formality as they are majorly formal。All in all this is a great political science book and I thoroughly have enjoyed reading it 。。。more

Vic Allen ，

High quality intellectual writing。 Most written by Hamilton， some by Madison and a handful by Jay。 A must for anyone interested in American history。

Bob Rivera ，

It's been an amazing journey through this collection of articles， largely written by Alexander Hamilton。 It should be required reading for all Americans， even if in our 21st century it is a bit of a slog at times。 Many of the things our population， our politicians and our press agonize over are explained in great detail and the rationale of why our marvelous constitution is set up the way it is， and why the United States is a REPUBLIC vice a Democracy is laid out and rationalized。 It's been an amazing journey through this collection of articles， largely written by Alexander Hamilton。 It should be required reading for all Americans， even if in our 21st century it is a bit of a slog at times。 Many of the things our population， our politicians and our press agonize over are explained in great detail and the rationale of why our marvelous constitution is set up the way it is， and why the United States is a REPUBLIC vice a Democracy is laid out and rationalized。 。。。more

COLE OTT ，

An absolute must read for people who wish to understand core America principles and the constitution。

Mike Clay ，

Read this in college。 It is a collection of essays and gives an insight into how the Constitution was formed and developed。

Cyn McR ，

Audiobook （Audible） - Excellent reading， felt passionate。

Erica Robbin ，

Really thought this was great。 Incredibly insightful。 I had only read a few essays in school so reading this as a compilation from start to finish was incredibly eye-opening。 I listened to it as an audiobook， narrated by multiple narrators， Kim Braun， Robert Scott， Scott Mather， and Susan Denney， I would highly recommend。 I quite enjoyed even the lower sound quality， and the variety of voices。 Though I had to skip a huge section around track 23。 The tinny poor sound quality and narration was pea Really thought this was great。 Incredibly insightful。 I had only read a few essays in school so reading this as a compilation from start to finish was incredibly eye-opening。 I listened to it as an audiobook， narrated by multiple narrators， Kim Braun， Robert Scott， Scott Mather， and Susan Denney， I would highly recommend。 I quite enjoyed even the lower sound quality， and the variety of voices。 Though I had to skip a huge section around track 23。 The tinny poor sound quality and narration was peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a shot of Vodka。 I actually liked the less polished aspect of the collection， but this one was really difficult for me to understand。 I’d recommend this book to anyone。 It is exactly what the description says， “the best commentary on the principles of government which was ever written。”It was so rich in content。 The founders thought of everything。 They were such visionaries， yet gave a lot of though the the implementation of a well-ran government and how it would empower the people to protect rights and freedoms。 As a collection of 85 essays， they all have their place， as their purpose was to persuade the public to ratify the Constitution of the United States。It’s interesting to think that these papers were often given as copies weekly to people。 I think it would be fascinating to have a resurgence of such a thing。Important Concepts， Questions， and Answers I Found Particularly Interesting:-This process in place to keep accountability， to established truth， reduce hostility between the states。 What measures are in place to protect and prevent the disunity within the union？ How to prevent factions， meaning the union from breaking apart。-It defined boundaries and principles of friendship and enmity。 Contrasts of tyranny and anarchy。 What was already thought of when it comes to internal civil conflict。 The several ways that could lead to the dissolution of the union。-Why there was hope for the United States to be so successful such as protecting the country， recognizing how it is insulated and secure， geographical advantage， distance， and shores。 -The differences between values of freedom and resources。-What is the understanding of freedom？-Forcing freedom。-What it means to be victim to the power of a single man。 -Why isn’t the country a pure democracy vs republic？-What issues would be considered regressive today？ How do you prevent government overreach？ -Why even protect individual freedom and what’s the reason behind maintaining small government？-It covered ideas about necessary legislation and how to avoid corruption or serving persona interest over the good of the whole。-Defending allies， anti-intervention。-National security mission， what was is the goal？-How to not succeed to the mercy of foreign powers。-Also in contrast what would be unfit for self-governance。-I liked this bit about alliances and their purposes: treatise and alliances， may war and peace， raise armies and equipment fleets。 Quotas and demand contributions。 Concepts I myself don’t really always give as much thought to as I probably should。-Sanctions a requisite， ambassadors， why duties on imports and exports matter， the regulation of the mint and and fortifications， preventing foreign influences as protection， and why this is so important。-How the rich can be extravagant while recognizing how the poor， frugal might be represent disproportion in states and how to address union inequalities。 -Diet and religious practices， as well as important concerns which separate communities， and how they can live under one country。-Why even have these in the first place？ So that the government doesn’t infringe and why is that so important。Blog post 。。。more

JP ，

Sell， baby， sell！ What a time to be alive when salesmanship looked like this。For us， it's neat to use these guys' promotional material as evidence of what they were actually thinking when they wrote the Constitution。 Nice to have the supplementary context， where the actual document doesn't speak for itself。One thing that's interesting today is how little they trusted people。 The case for federalism is basically， come on， you need the feds run the army and to rein in these teeming masses。 Senator Sell， baby， sell！ What a time to be alive when salesmanship looked like this。For us， it's neat to use these guys' promotional material as evidence of what they were actually thinking when they wrote the Constitution。 Nice to have the supplementary context， where the actual document doesn't speak for itself。One thing that's interesting today is how little they trusted people。 The case for federalism is basically， come on， you need the feds run the army and to rein in these teeming masses。 Senators are elected by the state congresses that are elected by the guys who own enough land to be allowed to vote。 That's a lot of layers removed from direct democracy。 Makes you wonder what they'd think of the pickle we've gotten ourselves into today。 。。。more

Erin ，

Brilliant， prescient。

M ，

HOLY ---- Hamilton was an idiot。

Brice Karickhoff ，

Came across a few of the essays randomly， and thought they rocked。 Then I realized they are all online for free。 Then I made my way through， slow as molasses。 Politicians don’t write like they used to man。

The Amusing Muse ，

I was not exposed to The Federalist Papers when I was in school - by then Civics had been thrown out of the curriculum - and so as an adult， if you're like me and trying to fill in the missing pieces of how the USA's government works and the intent of our Constitutions writers， this is for you！ While I listened to this on audio， there are several of the papers that I found most interesting and want to read and mull over in print form。 This is MUST READ material！ I was not exposed to The Federalist Papers when I was in school - by then Civics had been thrown out of the curriculum - and so as an adult， if you're like me and trying to fill in the missing pieces of how the USA's government works and the intent of our Constitutions writers， this is for you！ While I listened to this on audio， there are several of the papers that I found most interesting and want to read and mull over in print form。 This is MUST READ material！ 。。。more

William Whalen ，

Always a recommendation as a primary source for those looking at Constitutional history。

Priscilla Vorce ，

This is a MUST read for all Americans and anyone interested in the truth about what America's Founding Fathers really were thinking。If you fear you might struggle with this， get the audio through Libby， or Overdrive。 This isn't about reading a physical book。 Americans need to be aware of our History， so we can not be duped by the lies certain cable "news" shows spread。 （Fox） This is a MUST read for all Americans and anyone interested in the truth about what America's Founding Fathers really were thinking。If you fear you might struggle with this， get the audio through Libby， or Overdrive。 This isn't about reading a physical book。 Americans need to be aware of our History， so we can not be duped by the lies certain cable "news" shows spread。 （Fox） 。。。more

Rose ，

Very comprehensive and well written; I liked Madison's writing best。 Hamilton was much more wordy。 Very comprehensive and well written; I liked Madison's writing best。 Hamilton was much more wordy。 。。。more

Anand ，

This is one work which I will need to re-read， but I do feel proud of myself for having worked for a long time with this foundational American political classic， an apologia for the Constitution。 Though I could discern some of the differences between Madison， Jay， and Hamilton， it is striking that these three voices are part of an individual persona called "Publius。"And yet， when reading this great classic， I wondered throughout – in lieu of our history， were the anti-Federalists， the opponents This is one work which I will need to re-read， but I do feel proud of myself for having worked for a long time with this foundational American political classic， an apologia for the Constitution。 Though I could discern some of the differences between Madison， Jay， and Hamilton， it is striking that these three voices are part of an individual persona called "Publius。"And yet， when reading this great classic， I wondered throughout – in lieu of our history， were the anti-Federalists， the opponents of the Constitution， in fact right？ Lysander Spooner's criticism that the Constitution either enabled or was unable to prevent the growth of big government seems trenchant。 The Supreme Court has become something of a legislator by the bench。 The powers of the government have increased beyond what would have been perceived in the Founding era。 All in all， a classic of American political philosophy。 。。。more

Tim New ，

Should be required reading for every government official （State or Federal） before they can serve in office and every government employee。 Read it and see how today's "government" matches up to what the Founding Father's wanted and expected。 Bet you'll be surprised。 Should be required reading for every government official （State or Federal） before they can serve in office and every government employee。 Read it and see how today's "government" matches up to what the Founding Father's wanted and expected。 Bet you'll be surprised。 。。。more

Lance ，

Great book if you want to learn about the founding fathers， but my goodness this does drag on quite a bit。 I have to give the authors credit though， they put a lot of thought into their government and their passion is clearly shown in their writing。 A lot of the book is now common knowledge， so they did succeed。 Would recommend to anyone who wants a career in politics/law or is just interest in the founding of the US。

John Siebelink ，

This book， in my opinion， should be required reading for all Americans。 James Madison， John Jay， and Alexander Hamilton explain every aspect of the then-proposed Constitution and why it was being written the way that it was。 In a day and age where the Constitution is under fire and forces attempt to do away with the Electoral College， learning why it was imposed in the first place and how important it is will go a long way in ensuring that the United States survives well into the future。It is al This book， in my opinion， should be required reading for all Americans。 James Madison， John Jay， and Alexander Hamilton explain every aspect of the then-proposed Constitution and why it was being written the way that it was。 In a day and age where the Constitution is under fire and forces attempt to do away with the Electoral College， learning why it was imposed in the first place and how important it is will go a long way in ensuring that the United States survives well into the future。It is also fascinating， after taking a look at current events and all the corrupt politics happening in Washington right now， to look at the oversights that the Founding Fathers made。 Several times throughout the essays Hamilton and his co-authors blatantly admitted that they did not see something happening， and without any spoilers you can turn on any news channel today and see that exact thing happening today。 All in all， a powerful read and very important to anybody interested in this country and it’s history and political environment。 。。。more

Trena ，

A great start and one defiantly worth reading。

Trystan ，

So wordy。 So god damn wordy。 Lawyers speaking to lawyers present and future。 Get the law dictionary。Anyway。。。。。。。I got nothing useful。

Julía Serrano ，

A must read for everyone

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Federalist Papers

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Federalist Papers&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Federalist Papers&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0