Federalist Papers Begin: Argument for Constitution
Alexander Hamilton published 'Federalist No. 1' in the New York Independent Journal on October 27, 1787, under the pseudonym Publius. Over the next eight months, he, James Madison, and John Jay produced 85 essays arguing for ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Hamilton wrote 51, Madison 29, Jay 5. The essays were written at extraordinary speed, sometimes three per week, to counter Anti-Federalist opposition in New York. Madison's Federalist No. 10, arguing that a large republic could control factionalism better than a small one, reversed centuries of political theory. Hamilton's Federalist No. 78 established the case for judicial review before the Supreme Court formally claimed it. The Federalist Papers remain the most cited source in constitutional law after the Constitution itself.
October 27, 1787
239 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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