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Learn how to cite “The Federalist Papers” by Alexander Hamilton

Learn how to create in-text citations and a full citation/reference/note for The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton using the examples below. The Federalist Papers  is cited in 14 different citation styles, including MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, APA, ACS, and many others.

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How to Cite the Federalist Papers

Last Updated: February 20, 2023 Fact Checked

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 9 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 207,002 times. Learn more...

The Federalist Papers , or The New Constitution , consists of 85 articles published in the Independent Journal and the New York Packet. Written in 1787 and 1788, these articles offered arguments in favor of the newly written Constitution of the United States. The Federalist Papers are frequently cited in works that analyze the U.S. Constitution.

Using the Chicago Manual of Style

• The citation would look like: Book title , article number.
• For example: The Federalist Papers , No. 51.
• You can also place the citation in a sentence, such as: “In Federalist Paper No. 51, Alexander Hamilton observed…” or “As Hamilton pointed out in Federalist Paper No. 51…”

• So the citation would look like: As Alexander Hamilton noted at the beginning of Federalist Paper No. 78: “We proceed now to an examination of the judiciary department of the proposed government." [3] X Research source

• For example: James Madison, Federalist No.10, in The Federalist Papers , ed. Clinton Rossiter (New York: New American Library, 1961), pg 77-84.
• In your full citation in footnotes, you need to note the editor of the article. The Federalist Papers were not published as a unified work. They were gathered together over time by various editors.
• Your footnotes should begin with “1” and follow numerically. They should be superscript at the end of the quoted sentence or phrase. Using a word processing program, the footnote should automatically also appear at the bottom left of the page. [5] X Research source

• For example, if you are paraphrasing the first line from Federalist No. 1 by Alexander Hamilton, you may write: “In Federalist No. 10, James Madison talks about deliberating the new Constitution and how important the subject is to the state of the Union.”
• Though you have simply restated the first two lines of the article, you must still cite these lines as a footnote in your text. The footnote should have a full citation: James Madison, Federalist No.10, in The Federalist Papers , ed. Clinton Rossiter (New York: New American Library, 1961), pg 77-84.

• The citation should look like: Author, Article , in Book Name , ed. Name (Publisher, Publish Date), page numbers.
• For example: Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 68, in The Federalist , ed. George W. Carey and James McClellan (Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund, 2001), 351–52.
• If you are just using The Federalist Papers as a whole, you can cite it as one source. So the citation would look like: Carey, George, and James McClellan, eds. The Federalist . Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund, 2001.

Using APA Style

• For example: He noted: “After an unequivocal experience of the inefficiency of the subsisting federal government, you are called upon to deliberate on a new Constitution for the United States of America.”(Hamilton, 2001, p. 23) [7] X Research source
• You would use 2001 as the date because the source you are using (Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 68, in The Federalist , ed. George W. Carey and James McClellan (Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund, 2001), 351–52.) was published in 2001.

• Content footnotes: these notes provide supplemental, or extra, information to your readers. Be brief and try to limit the footnote to one small paragraph. You should also point readers to information that is available in more detail elsewhere.
• For example: 1 See DeWeese (2000), especially Chapters 1 and 2, for an insightful analysis of Hamilton’s article.
• Copyright permission notes: If you quote more than 500 words of published material, or think you may be in violation of “Fair Use” copyright laws, you must get formal permission from the author(s). The other sources can appear in the reference list at the end of your paper or document. Follow the same formatting rules as the content footnote. Then, attach a copy of the permission letter to the document.
• Begin the copyright permission footnote with “Note”. The format is: Note: From Article Title by Author, Journal Title, Journal Number, page number. Copyright Date by Copyright Holder. Reprinted with permission.
• For example: Note: From The Federalist Papers: A Study by D. DeWeese, 2000, American Letters, 20, p. 122. Copyright 2000 by Flag Publishing. Reprinted with permission.
• For both types of footnotes, always insert the number in superscript at the end of the sentence, after the punctuation mark. If the footnote appears in a sentence in parentheses, the footnote should appear within the parentheses.

• For example: According to Hamilton (2001), the union is crucial to the Constitution.
• The citation of a summary or paraphrase could also appear as: He argued that the union is crucial to the Constitution. (Hamilton, 2001, p. 99)

• The citation should appear as: Author (Year of publication). Title of chapter . Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pages of chapter). Location: Publisher.
• For example: Alexander Hamilton (2001). Federalist No. 68, ed. George W. Carey and James McClellan, The Federalist (351–52). Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund.
• If you are just using The Federalist Papers as a whole, you can cite it as one source. So the citation would look like: Author or editor, (Year of publication). Title of work . Location: Publisher.
• For example: Carey, George, and James McClellan, eds. 2001. The Federalist . Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund.

Using MLA Style

• For example: Hamilton stated that the union was “crucial to the Constitution” (99).
• It could also appear as: In Federalist No. 51, he also stated the union was crucial. (Hamilton 99)

• Bibliographic notes. These are other publications your readers can consult for extra information on a particular topic.
• For example: 1 See DeWeese (2000), especially Chapter 1 and 2, for an insightful analysis of Hamilton’s article.
• Explanatory notes, or content notes. These are brief notes of additional information that might be too long for the main text.
• For example: 1 In a 2000 interview, he stresses this point even more strongly: “Reform is essential to the union”. (DeWeese 124)
• All footnotes should appear as numbers in superscript at the end of sentences, after the punctuation mark. If the footnote appears in a sentence in parentheses, the footnote should appear within the parentheses.

• The citation should appear as: Last name, First name. Title of Essay . Title of Collection . Ed. Editor's Name(s). City of Publication: Publisher, Year. Page range of entry. Medium of Publication.
• For example: Hamilton, Alexander. Federalist No. 68. The Federalist . Ed. George W. Carey and James McClellan. Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund, 2001. 351–52. Print.
• If you are just using The Federalist Papers as a whole, you can cite it as one source. So the citation would look like: Last name, First name. Title of Book . City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.
• For example: Carey, George, and James McClellan, eds. The Federalist . Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund, 2001. Print.

Federalist Papers Basics

• Paraphrasing and summaries are restatements in your own words of written or spoken text. A paraphrase usually restates a portion of the text in a few sentences. A summary condenses larger chunks of text. When paraphrasing and summarizing, you must reword the information completely and not just substitute a few words from the original text. You must also be careful not to change the original meaning in the original text with your rewording.
• All three citation styles require you to cite all quotes and paraphrasing in text. However, each style cites paraphrasing in different ways.

• Some legal experts believe The Federalist Papers are self-contradictory or that they may not have persuaded the ratifiers of the Constitution at all. They also argue that The Federalist Papers were written to support the ratification of the Constitution, rather than to explain it and that they are an unreliable source for determining the original intent of the founding fathers because of the secrecy of the Constitutional Convention.
• All of these critiques of The Federalist Papers are valid. But none of them work against the articles in a significant way. So if you are going to make a claim about the original meaning of The Federalist Papers , take the counterarguments noted above into account.

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• ↑ https://web.ics.purdue.edu/~mclauchl/Sp09/POL%20425/MARONBK.PDF
• ↑ https://www.bibguru.com/b/how-to-cite-the-federalist-papers/
• ↑ https://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides/books/the-federalist-papers
• ↑ https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/politics/foundations-of-american-democracy/the-federalist-papers/
• ↑ https://web.williams.edu/wp-etc/acad-resources/survival_guide/CitingDoc/ParaphrasingMLA.php

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How to cite “The federalist papers” by Alexander Hamilton

Apa citation.

Formatted according to the APA Publication Manual 7 th edition. Simply copy it to the References page as is.

If you need more information on APA citations check out our APA citation guide or start citing with the BibguruAPA citation generator .

Hamilton, A. (2012). The federalist papers . Dutton/Signet.

Chicago style citation

Formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style 17 th edition. Simply copy it to the References page as is.

If you need more information on Chicago style citations check out our Chicago style citation guide or start citing with the BibGuru Chicago style citation generator .

Hamilton, Alexander. 2012. The Federalist Papers . New York, NY: Dutton/Signet.

MLA citation

Formatted according to the MLA handbook 9 th edition. Simply copy it to the Works Cited page as is.

If you need more information on MLA citations check out our MLA citation guide or start citing with the BibGuru MLA citation generator .

Hamilton, Alexander. The Federalist Papers . Dutton/Signet, 2012.

Other citation styles (Harvard, Turabian, Vancouver, ...)

BibGuru offers more than 8,000 citation styles including popular styles such as AMA, ASA, APSA, CSE, IEEE, Harvard, Turabian, and Vancouver, as well as journal and university specific styles. Give it a try now: Cite The federalist papers now!

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How to Cite the Federalist Papers

The Federalist Papers were a series of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison between 1787 and 1788. Although the essays were published anonymously, we now know the writers of each essay. The intent of the Federalist Papers was to explain to New York readers the details of the proposed constitution and convince them to ratify it. Because the original Federalist Papers were originally published in the newspaper, the correct way to cite the Federalist papers is to follow the same format you would use to cite any newspaper article.

Begin the citation by citing the author, last name first.

In quotation marks, enter the title of the article.

Enter the name of the newspaper that the article was published in, and underline it. If “the” or “a” is the first word of the newspaper's name, omit it.

Cite the date that the article was published, printing the date first, followed by the abbreviated name of the month, and then the year. Your final citation should appear as follows:

Madison, James. “The Same Subject Continued: The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection.” New York Daily Advertiser. 22 Nov 1787.

Begin the citation by entering the authors last name, followed by the first initial of his first name.

In parenthesis, enter the date the article was published, entering the year first, then the name of the month written in full, followed by the date.

Cite the name of the article.

Enter the name of the newspaper, in italics, followed by the page number that the article appears on. Your final citation should read as follows:

Madison, J. (1787, November 22). The Same Subject Continued: The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection. New York Daily Advertiser, p. 1.

• Our Documents: Federalist Papers No. 10 & No. 51 (1787-1788)
• 1.“The Longman Writer's Companion”; Chris M. Anson, et al.; 2002

Danielle Hamill began writing in 2007 for website developer Interactive Internet Website, Inc. She has contributed to websites such as Family Travel Guides and Caribbean Guide. Hamill holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Florida State University.

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Federalist Papers

By: History.com Editors

Updated: June 22, 2023 | Original: November 9, 2009

The Federalist Papers are a collection of essays written in the 1780s in support of the proposed U.S. Constitution and the strong federal government it advocated. In October 1787, the first in a series of 85 essays arguing for ratification of the Constitution appeared in the Independent Journal , under the pseudonym “Publius.” Addressed to “The People of the State of New York,” the essays were actually written by the statesmen Alexander Hamilton , James Madison and John Jay . They would be published serially from 1787-88 in several New York newspapers. The first 77 essays, including Madison’s famous Federalist 10 and Federalist 51 , appeared in book form in 1788. Titled The Federalist , it has been hailed as one of the most important political documents in U.S. history.

Articles of Confederation

As the first written constitution of the newly independent United States, the Articles of Confederation nominally granted Congress the power to conduct foreign policy, maintain armed forces and coin money.

But in practice, this centralized government body had little authority over the individual states, including no power to levy taxes or regulate commerce, which hampered the new nation’s ability to pay its outstanding debts from the Revolutionary War .

In May 1787, 55 delegates gathered in Philadelphia to address the deficiencies of the Articles of Confederation and the problems that had arisen from this weakened central government.

A New Constitution

The document that emerged from the Constitutional Convention went far beyond amending the Articles, however. Instead, it established an entirely new system, including a robust central government divided into legislative , executive and judicial branches.

As soon as 39 delegates signed the proposed Constitution in September 1787, the document went to the states for ratification, igniting a furious debate between “Federalists,” who favored ratification of the Constitution as written, and “Antifederalists,” who opposed the Constitution and resisted giving stronger powers to the national government.

The Rise of Publius

In New York, opposition to the Constitution was particularly strong, and ratification was seen as particularly important. Immediately after the document was adopted, Antifederalists began publishing articles in the press criticizing it.

They argued that the document gave Congress excessive powers and that it could lead to the American people losing the hard-won liberties they had fought for and won in the Revolution.

In response to such critiques, the New York lawyer and statesman Alexander Hamilton, who had served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, decided to write a comprehensive series of essays defending the Constitution, and promoting its ratification.

Who Wrote the Federalist Papers?

As a collaborator, Hamilton recruited his fellow New Yorker John Jay, who had helped negotiate the treaty ending the war with Britain and served as secretary of foreign affairs under the Articles of Confederation. The two later enlisted the help of James Madison, another delegate to the Constitutional Convention who was in New York at the time serving in the Confederation Congress.

To avoid opening himself and Madison to charges of betraying the Convention’s confidentiality, Hamilton chose the pen name “Publius,” after a general who had helped found the Roman Republic. He wrote the first essay, which appeared in the Independent Journal, on October 27, 1787.

In it, Hamilton argued that the debate facing the nation was not only over ratification of the proposed Constitution, but over the question of “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.”

After writing the next four essays on the failures of the Articles of Confederation in the realm of foreign affairs, Jay had to drop out of the project due to an attack of rheumatism; he would write only one more essay in the series. Madison wrote a total of 29 essays, while Hamilton wrote a staggering 51.

Federalist Papers Summary

In the Federalist Papers, Hamilton, Jay and Madison argued that the decentralization of power that existed under the Articles of Confederation prevented the new nation from becoming strong enough to compete on the world stage or to quell internal insurrections such as Shays’s Rebellion .

In addition to laying out the many ways in which they believed the Articles of Confederation didn’t work, Hamilton, Jay and Madison used the Federalist essays to explain key provisions of the proposed Constitution, as well as the nature of the republican form of government.

'Federalist 10'

In Federalist 10 , which became the most influential of all the essays, Madison argued against the French political philosopher Montesquieu ’s assertion that true democracy—including Montesquieu’s concept of the separation of powers—was feasible only for small states.

A larger republic, Madison suggested, could more easily balance the competing interests of the different factions or groups (or political parties ) within it. “Extend the sphere, and you take in a greater variety of parties and interests,” he wrote. “[Y]ou make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens[.]”

After emphasizing the central government’s weakness in law enforcement under the Articles of Confederation in Federalist 21-22 , Hamilton dove into a comprehensive defense of the proposed Constitution in the next 14 essays, devoting seven of them to the importance of the government’s power of taxation.

Madison followed with 20 essays devoted to the structure of the new government, including the need for checks and balances between the different powers.

'Federalist 51'

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary,” Madison wrote memorably in Federalist 51 . “If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.”

After Jay contributed one more essay on the powers of the Senate , Hamilton concluded the Federalist essays with 21 installments exploring the powers held by the three branches of government—legislative, executive and judiciary.

Impact of the Federalist Papers

Despite their outsized influence in the years to come, and their importance today as touchstones for understanding the Constitution and the founding principles of the U.S. government, the essays published as The Federalist in 1788 saw limited circulation outside of New York at the time they were written. They also fell short of convincing many New York voters, who sent far more Antifederalists than Federalists to the state ratification convention.

Still, in July 1788, a slim majority of New York delegates voted in favor of the Constitution, on the condition that amendments would be added securing certain additional rights. Though Hamilton had opposed this (writing in Federalist 84 that such a bill was unnecessary and could even be harmful) Madison himself would draft the Bill of Rights in 1789, while serving as a representative in the nation’s first Congress.

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Ron Chernow, Hamilton (Penguin, 2004). Pauline Maier, Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788 (Simon & Schuster, 2010). “If Men Were Angels: Teaching the Constitution with the Federalist Papers.” Constitutional Rights Foundation . Dan T. Coenen, “Fifteen Curious Facts About the Federalist Papers.” University of Georgia School of Law , April 1, 2007. 

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Course: US history   >   Unit 3

• The Articles of Confederation
• What was the Articles of Confederation?
• Shays's Rebellion
• The Constitutional Convention
• The US Constitution

The Federalist Papers

• The Bill of Rights
• Social consequences of revolutionary ideals
• The presidency of George Washington
• Why was George Washington the first president?
• The presidency of John Adams
• Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800
• Continuity and change in American society, 1754-1800
• Creating a nation
• The Federalist Papers was a collection of essays written by John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton in 1788.
• The essays urged the ratification of the United States Constitution, which had been debated and drafted at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787.
• The Federalist Papers is considered one of the most significant American contributions to the field of political philosophy and theory and is still widely considered to be the most authoritative source for determining the original intent of the framers of the US Constitution.

The Articles of Confederation and Constitutional Convention

• In Federalist No. 10 , Madison reflects on how to prevent rule by majority faction and advocates the expansion of the United States into a large, commercial republic.
• In Federalist No. 39 and Federalist 51 , Madison seeks to “lay a due foundation for that separate and distinct exercise of the different powers of government, which to a certain extent is admitted on all hands to be essential to the preservation of liberty,” emphasizing the need for checks and balances through the separation of powers into three branches of the federal government and the division of powers between the federal government and the states. 4 ‍  
• In Federalist No. 84 , Hamilton advances the case against the Bill of Rights, expressing the fear that explicitly enumerated rights could too easily be construed as comprising the only rights to which American citizens were entitled.

What do you think?

• For more on Shays’s Rebellion, see Leonard L. Richards, Shays’s Rebellion: The American Revolution’s Final Battle (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002).
• Bernard Bailyn, ed. The Debate on the Constitution: Federalist and Anti-Federalist Speeches, Articles, and Letters During the Struggle over Ratification; Part One, September 1787 – February 1788 (New York: Penguin Books, 1993).
• See Federalist No. 1 .
• See Federalist No. 51 .
• For more, see Michael Meyerson, Liberty’s Blueprint: How Madison and Hamilton Wrote the Federalist Papers, Defined the Constitution, and Made Democracy Safe for the World (New York: Basic Books, 2008).

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An Introduction to The Bluebook

• Short Citation Forms (Id., Supra, Hereinafter)
• Online Sources
• Journals and Newspapers
• Foreign and International Materials
• Additional Tutorials and Guides

Rule 15 covers books, treatises, encyclopedias, reports, white papers, dictionaries, and all other "nonperiodic materials" (meaning they are not continuously published, such as newspapers or law journals).

Rule 15.9 governs how to cite to online books and nonperiodic materials, including ebooks and materials in commercial databases. If materials are available both in print and in a commercial database, their database version may be cited.

Special notes for citing books:

• Rules 15.1 and 15.3  specify that book titles and author names (both individual and institutional) should be in large and small capitals.
• Rule 15.8  covers "Special Citation Forms" for frequently-cited or well-known works, such as: Black's Law Dictionary, American Jurisprudence, The Federalist Papers, the Bible, and others.
• Rule 15.10  covers the use of  id.  and  supra  when referring to already-cited books and other nonperiodic materials.

Below are examples of citations to commonly cited types of nonperiodic materials. *While large capitals are used in these examples, Rule 15 calls for use of both large and small capitals, as noted above.

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The Federalist (Gideon ed.)

• Alexander Hamilton (author)
• John Jay (author)
• James Madison (author)
• James McClellan (introduction)
• George W. Carey (introduction)

The Federalist , by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, constitutes a text central to the American political tradition. Published in newspapers in 1787 and 1788 to explain and promote ratification of the proposed Constitution for the United States, which up to then were bound by the Articles of Confederation, The Federalist remains today of singular importance to students of liberty around the world.

• EBook PDF This text-based PDF or EBook was created from the HTML version of this book and is part of the Portable Library of Liberty.
• LF Printer PDF This text-based PDF was prepared by the typesetters of the LF book.

The Federalist (The Gideon Edition), Edited with an Introduction, Reader’s Guide, Constitutional Cross-reference, Index, and Glossary by George W. Carey and James McClellan (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2001).

The copyright to this edition, in both print and electronic forms, is held by Liberty Fund, Inc.

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Related Collections:

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• Books Published by Liberty Fund
• Political Theory

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Politics & Liberty

Critical Responses

Melancton Smith

The Anti-Federalist Writings of the Melancton Smith Circle is a collection of Anti-Federalist writings closely connected to Melancton Smith and his associates in New York, who wrote extensive and penetrating critiques of the proposed constitution. Their writings often contrasted sharply with the…

St. George Tucker

View of the Constitution of the United States with Selected Writings of St. George Tucker presents one of the first critical appraisals of the Constitution to be written after ratification. Tucker’s views were often more in line with the decentralized and limited forms of federalism favored by…

William B. Allen and Gordon Lloyd, editors

The Essential Antifederalist Second Edition, presents the main themes of the principal critics of the Constitution. It organizes the oppositional writings thematically which makes possible a ready comparison with the writings of Publius.

Connected Readings

James Wilson

Besides Wilson’s famous Lectures on Law, this edition includes noteworthy speeches and essays with his opinions in several Supreme Court Cases that further elucidate his thoughts on the Constitution.

This book of Anti-Federalist writings presents a collection of texts critical of the Constitution as it was originally proposed. The book makes avaiable in a single volume essays that are commensurate in political brilliance and significance with The Federalist.

Alexander Hamilton

In this volume, the essays that helped make Hamilton’s reputation as a writer and thinker prior to the ratification of the Constitution are collected. Here one will discover his earliest thoughts is support of the American Revolution and his initial ideas respecting the need for a stronger national…

Fisher Ames

This collection brings together the speeches and letters of one of the most influential Federalists of the Founding Era. They reveal the core sets of ideas that distinguished the Federalists from their Jeffersonian Republican opponents.

Gouverneur Morris

This collection of Morris’ writings includes public letters, documents, and speeches presented in chronological order. The collection sheds light on Morris ideas and his influence on the writing and spirit of the Constitution.

Colleen A. Sheehan

There were many writers other than John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton who, in 1787 and 1788, argued for the Constitution’s ratification. In a collection central to our understanding of the American founding, Friends of the Constitution brings together forty-nine of the most important…

This book was the first extended commentary on the US Constitution. It was originally part of Tucker’s “Americanized” or “republicanized” edition of the multivolume Commentaries on the Laws of England by Sir William Blackstone.

This Revised Edition of The Essential Antifederalist continues the original, important contribution to the history and thought of the founding. Thematically organized, this work helps in making direct comparisons with the arguments presented in the Federalist essays.

The Federalist Papers

By alexander hamilton , james madison , john jay, the federalist papers sources and classicnote author.

• Brittany Nelson and Christopher Higgins (second revision 09/15/2011), author of ClassicNote. Completed on September 10, 2000, copyright held by GradeSaver.
• Updated and revised by Elizabeth Weinbloom December 30, 2011. Copyright held by GradeSaver.
• Amar, Akhil Reed.. America's Constitution: A Biography . New York: Random House, 2005.
• Ralph Ketcham. The Anti-Federalist Papers and the Constitutional Convention Debates . New York: New American Library, 1986.
• Cecelia M. Kenyon. The Antifederalists . Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1966.
• George W. Carey and James McClellan. The Federalist . Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2001.
• Storing, Herbert J. What the Anti-Federalists Were For . Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981.
• Richard H. Kohn. Anglo-American Antimilitary Tracts . New York: Arno Press, 1979.
• Clinton Rossiter,. Hamilton and the Constitution . NYC: Harcourt, Brace, & World, Inc, 1964.

Hamilton, Alexander, John Jay, James Madison. The Federalist Papers.

• The Impartial Examiner. ""Anti-Federalist Papers: The Impartial Examiner."." 2011-08-04. < http://www.constitution.org/afp/impar_exam.htm. >.

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The Federalist Papers essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison.

• A Close Reading of James Madison's The Federalist No. 51 and its Relevancy Within the Sphere of Modern Political Thought
• Lock, Hobbes, and the Federalist Papers
• Comparison of Federalist Paper 78 and Brutus XI
• The Paradox of the Republic: A Close Reading of Federalist 10
• Manipulation of Individual Citizen Motivations in the Federalist Papers

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The federalist no. 51, [6 february 1788], the federalist no. 51 1 by james madison or alexander hamilton.

[New York, February 6, 1788]

To the People of the State of New-York.

TO what expedient then shall we finally resort for maintaining in practice the necessary partition of power among the several departments, as laid down in the constitution? The only answer that can be given is, that as all these exterior provisions are found to be inadequate, the defect must be supplied, by so contriving the interior structure of the government, as that its several constituent parts may, by their mutual relations, be the means of keeping each other in their proper places. Without presuming to undertake a full development of this important idea, I will hazard a few general observations, which may perhaps place it in a clearer light, and enable us to form a more correct judgment of the principles and structure of the government planned by the convention.

In order to lay a due foundation for that separate and distinct exercise of the different powers of government, which to a certain extent, is admitted on all hands to be essential to the preservation of liberty, it is evident that each department should have a will of its own; and consequently should be so constituted, that the members of each should have as little agency as possible in the appointment of the members of the others. Were this principle rigorously adhered to, it would require that all the appointments for the supreme executive, legislative, and judiciary magistracies, should be drawn from the same fountain of authority, the people, through channels, having no communication whatever with one another. Perhaps such a plan of constructing the several departments would be less difficult in practice than it may in contemplation appear. Some difficulties however, and some additional expence, would attend the execution of it. Some deviations therefore from the principle must be admitted. In the constitution of the judiciary department in particular, it might be inexpedient to insist rigorously on the principle; first, because peculiar qualifications being essential in the members, the primary consideration ought to be to select that mode of choice, which best secures these qualifications; secondly, because the permanent tenure by which the appointments are held in that department, must soon destroy all sense of dependence on the authority conferring them.

It is equally evident that the members of each department should be as little dependent as possible on those of the others, for the emoluments annexed to their offices. Were the executive magistrate, or the judges, not independent of the legislature in this particular, their independence in every other would be merely nominal.

But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department, the necessary constitutional means, and personal motives, to resist encroachments of the others. The provision for defence must in this, as in all other cases, be made commensurate to the danger of attack. Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to controul the abuses of government. But what is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controuls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: You must first enable the government to controul the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to controul itself. A dependence on the people is no doubt the primary controul on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.

This policy of supplying by opposite and rival interests, the defect of better motives, might be traced through the whole system of human affairs, private as well as public. We see it particularly displayed in all the subordinate distributions of power; where the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that each may be a check on the other; that the private interest of every individual, may be a centinel over the public rights. These inventions of prudence cannot be less requisite in the distribution of the supreme powers of the state.

But it is not possible to give to each department an equal power of self defence. In republican government the legislative authority, necessarily, predominates. The remedy for this inconveniency is, to divide the legislature into different branches; and to render them by different modes of election, and different principles of action, as little connected with each other, as the nature of their common functions, and their common dependence on the society, will admit. It may even be necessary to guard against dangerous encroachments by still further precautions. As the weight of the legislative authority requires that it should be thus divided, the weakness of the executive may require, on the other hand, that it should be fortified. An absolute negative, on the legislature, appears at first view to be the natural defence with which the executive magistrate should be armed. But perhaps it would be neither altogether safe, nor alone sufficient. On ordinary occasions, it might not be exerted with the requisite firmness; and on extraordinary occasions, it might be perfidiously abused. May not this defect of an absolute negative be supplied, by some qualified connection between this weaker department, and the weaker branch of the stronger department, by which the latter may be led to support the constitutional rights of the former, without being too much detached from the rights of its own departmen[t]?

If the principles on which these observations are founded be just, as I persuade myself they are, and they be applied as a criterion, to the several state constitutions, and to the federal constitution, it will be found, that if the latter does not perfectly correspond with them, the former are infinitely less able to bear such a test.

There are moreover two considerations particularly applicable to the federal system of America, which place that system 2 in a very interesting point of view.

First. In a single republic, all the power surrendered by the people, is submitted to the administration of a single government; and 3 usurpations are guarded against by a division of the government into distinct and separate departments. In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered by the people, is first divided between two distinct governments, and then the portion allotted to each, subdivided among distinct and separate departments. Hence a double security arises to the rights of the people. The different governments will controul each other; at the same time that each will be controuled by itself.

Second. It is of great importance in a republic, not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers; but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. Different interests necessarily exist in different classes of citizens. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure. There are but two methods of providing against this evil: The one by creating a will in the community independent of the majority, that is, of the society itself; the other by comprehending in the society so many separate descriptions of citizens, as will render an unjust combination of a majority of the whole, very improbable, if not impracticable. The first method prevails in all governments possessing an hereditary or self appointed authority. This at best is but a precarious security; because a power independent of the society may as well espouse the unjust views of the major, as the rightful interests, of the minor party, and may possibly be turned against both parties. The second method will be exemplified in the federal republic of the United States. Whilst all authority in it will be derived from and dependent on the society, the society itself will be broken into so many parts, interests and classes of citizens, that the rights of individuals or of the minority, will be in little danger from interested combinations of the majority. In a free government, the security for civil rights must be the same as for religious rights. It consists in the one case in the multiplicity of interests, and in the other, in the multiplicity of sects. The degree of security in both cases will depend on the number of interests and sects; and this may be presumed to depend on the extent of country and number of people comprehended under the same government. This view of the subject must particularly recommend a proper federal system to all the sincere and considerate friends of republican government: Since it shews that in exact proportion as the territory of the union may be formed into more circumscribed confederacies or states, oppressive combinations of a majority will be facilitated, the best security under the republican form, for the rights of every class of citizens, will be diminished; and consequently, the stability and independence of some member of the government, the only other security, must be proportionally increased. Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been, and ever will be pursued, until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit. In a society under the forms of which the stronger faction can readily unite and oppress the weaker, anarchy may as truly be said to reign, as in a state of nature where the weaker individual is not secured against the violence of the stronger: And as in the latter state even the stronger individuals are prompted by the uncertainty of their condition, to submit to a government which may protect the weak as well as themselves: So in the former state, will the more powerful factions or parties 4 be gradually induced by a like motive, to wish for a government which will protect all parties, the weaker as well as the more powerful. It can be little doubted, that if the state of Rhode Island was separated from the confederacy, and left to itself, the insecurity of rights under the popular form of government within such narrow limits, would be displayed by such reiterated oppressions of factious majorities, that some power altogether independent of the people would soon be called for by the voice of the very factions whose misrule had proved the necessity of it. In the extended republic of the United States, and among the great variety of interests, parties and sects which it embraces, a coalition of a majority of the whole society could seldom take place on 5 any other principles than those of justice and the general good; and 6 there being thus less danger to a minor from the will of the major party, there must be less pretext also, to provide for the security of the former, by introducing into the government a will not dependent on the latter; or in other words, a will independent of the society itself. It is no less certain than it is important, notwithstanding the contrary opinions which have been entertained, that the larger the society, provided it lie within a practicable sphere, the more duly capable it will be of self government. And happily for the republican cause , the practicable sphere may be carried to a very great extent, by a judicious modification and mixture of the federal principle .

The [New York] Independent Journal: or, the General Advertiser , February 6, 1788. This essay appeared on February 8 in New-York Packet and on February 11 in The [New York] Daily Advertiser . In the McLean description begins The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, As Agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787. In Two Volumes (New York: Printed and Sold by J. and A. McLean, 1788). description ends edition this essay is numbered 51, in the newspapers it is numbered 50.

1 .  For background to this document, see “The Federalist. Introductory Note,” October 27, 1787–May 28, 1788 .

Essay 51, like essay 50, was claimed by H and Madison. The internal evidence presented by Edward G. Bourne (“The Authorship of the Federalist,” The American Historical Review , II [April, 1897], 449–51), strongly indicates Madison’s authorship. Bourne printed in parallel columns sentences from essay 51 which correspond very closely, sometimes exactly, to earlier writings by Madison. For other reasons why Madison’s claim to the authorship of this essay outweighs (but does not necessarily obviate) that of H, see “The Federalist. Introductory Note,” October 27, 1787–May 28, 1788 .

2 .  “it” substituted for “that system” in Hopkins description begins The Federalist On The New Constitution. By Publius. Written in 1788. To Which is Added, Pacificus, on The Proclamation of Neutrality. Written in 1793. Likewise, The Federal Constitution, With All the Amendments. Revised and Corrected. In Two Volumes (New York: Printed and Sold by George F. Hopkins, at Washington’s Head, 1802). description ends .

3 .  “the” inserted at this point in Hopkins.

4 .  “or parties” omitted in Hopkins.

5 .  “upon” substituted for “on” in McLean description begins The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, As Agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787. In Two Volumes (New York: Printed and Sold by J. and A. McLean, 1788). description ends and Hopkins.

6 .  “Whilst” substituted for “and” in McLean and Hopkins.

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The Constitution of the United States Revised and Updated pp 121–141 Cite as

The Federalist Papers: Constitutional Structures

• Michael H. DeArmey 2  
• First Online: 07 November 2023

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This chapter surveys the Federalist papers only on issues concerning Constitutional structure, the relation between States and the national government, and the distribution of offices and responsibilities therein. Description of what the Federalist papers are. These papers are fine examples of Enlightenment thinking and values.

Is it not the glory of the people of America, that, while 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? ( Federalis t No. 14, 78–79) James Madison

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Federalist No. 1, 37.

Federalist , No. 9, 62.

Federalist No. 10, 64. “By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.”

Federalis t No. 10, 66.

Federalist No. 15, 82.

Federalis t No. 17, 87.

Federalist No. 28, 122.

Federalist No. 37, 150; Hamilton on an energetic constitution, Federalist No. 23, 107.

Federalist No. 38, 150.

Federalist No. 39, 158. The “or during good behavior” refers to Supreme Court Justices without a term limit.

Ibid., 161.

Federalist No. 40, 164.

Federalis t No. 42, 173.

Federalis t No. 43, 177.

Ibid., 180.

Federalist No. 44, 187.

Federalist No. 45, 186.

Federalist No. 46, 190.

Federalist No. 49, 200. Jefferson held that nothing is perpetual, not even constitutions; the earth belongs to the living, not the dead. The Constitution needs revision every nineteen or twenty years. Despite Madison’s criticisms of this claim, Jefferson continued to hold this view as late as 1816. See the letter from Jefferson to Samuel Kercheval, July 12, 1816.

Ibid., 201.

Federalis t No. 50, 203.

Gilbert Murray, Five States of Greek Religion (Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishers, 2010).

Federalis t No. 57, 222.

Ibid., 222.

Ibid., 223.

Ibid., 224.

Federalist No. 58, 227

Ibid., 228.

Federalist No. 59, 229.

Federalist No. 60, 232.

Federalist No. 61, 237.

Federalist No. 62, 238.

Ibid., 239.

Ibid., 238.

Ibid., 240.

Federalist No. 63, 241.

Federalis t No. 66, 252.

Ibid., 253.

Federalis t No. 67, 258.

Ibid., 259.

Federalis t nos. 69, 260–261.

Ibid., 261.

Federalist No. 72, 273.

Ibid., 273.

Ibid., 274.

Federalist No. 74, 279.

Ibid., 280.

Ibid., 284.

Federalist No. 78, 289–290.

Ibid., 290.

Ibid., 293.

Federalis t No. 78, 292.

Federalist No. 79, 294.

Federalist No. 81, 301

Ibid., 303.

Federalist No. 81, 299.

Federalist No. 82, 304.

Federalist No. 84, 317.

Federalist No. 85, 321.

Federalist No. 85, 324.

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DeArmey, M.H. (2023). The Federalist Papers: Constitutional Structures. In: The Constitution of the United States Revised and Updated. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40426-9_5

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