The Federalist Papers
by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay
published
January 1st 1982
(first published 2004)
by Bantam Classics
edit
binding
Mass Market Paperback, 624 pages
isbn
0553213407
(isbn13: 9780553213409)
description
"This country and this people seem to have been made for each other, and it appears as if it was the design of Providence, that an inheritance so...more
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
discuss this book
![100 Greatest Books of All Time [Franklin Library]](http://photo.goodreads.com/groups/1214759499p2/5313.jpg)
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
Where's the love? Add this book to your favorite list.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1309)
Read the Federalist Papers. Then, just for kicks, switch on Hannity & Colmes, or Crossfire, or read USA Today... and then ask yourself, WHAT THE FUCKING CHRIST HAPPENED TO THIS COUNTRY? Then crawl into a corner and whimper for eight hours straight. (That's what I did.)
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
Every American and anyone who wants to understand what it was envisioned to be when it began
Boring as all get out, practically put me to sleep and still I ended up liking this book. How could I not in some ways? It presents the arguments of three men, who if I certainly did not admire, can certainly respect their passionately held opinions and their hopes for what America could be. Also, it really helped me to better understand the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the historical context that resulted in some of the seemingly odd or unnecessary clauses and stipulations.
And th...more
And th...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 1990
recommended to Paula by:
Historyrecommends it for: To All Americans
I spent some part of the day yesterday reviewing my marked up copy of the Federalist Papers. Hamilton's eloquence makes the dry facts of political theory not only palatable, but delicious. Here is a sampling:
"It will be forgotten, on the one hand, that jealousy is the usual concomitant of love, and that the noble enthusiasm of liberty is apt to be infected with a spirit of narrow and illiberal distrust. On the other hand, it will be equally forgotten that the vigour of government is ess...more
"It will be forgotten, on the one hand, that jealousy is the usual concomitant of love, and that the noble enthusiasm of liberty is apt to be infected with a spirit of narrow and illiberal distrust. On the other hand, it will be equally forgotten that the vigour of government is ess...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I must mention that I have not read all of this book yet. I have read about 20 of these papers (starting with the ones that interest me the most), and I have really enjoyed it.
The first paper I read (either #10 or #78, I forget exactly which) it felt a little bit like getting intellectually kicked in the head. I mean, I would read a single paragraph and think "what?" and read it again and still have no idea what it was talking about. After getting my 1828 Webster dictionary and ...more
The first paper I read (either #10 or #78, I forget exactly which) it felt a little bit like getting intellectually kicked in the head. I mean, I would read a single paragraph and think "what?" and read it again and still have no idea what it was talking about. After getting my 1828 Webster dictionary and ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in October, 2005
recommends it for:
Someone willing to give it the time it merits
First, I'm going to begin with a bitch.
THIS "BOOK" WAS NOT WRITTEN BY ALEXANDER HAMILTON. IT IS NOT A BOOK. IT IS A COMPILATION OF SEVERAL ESSAYS WRITTEN UNDER THE PSEUDONYM "PUBLIUS" AND THE AUTHOR(S) WERE ANONYMOUS FOR A LONG TIME.
The true authorship of these was only known several years after the fact. And took several decades after the authors had been determined to finalize exactly who wrote what.
Furthermore, virtually ever copy includes at least a copy of the Bil...more
THIS "BOOK" WAS NOT WRITTEN BY ALEXANDER HAMILTON. IT IS NOT A BOOK. IT IS A COMPILATION OF SEVERAL ESSAYS WRITTEN UNDER THE PSEUDONYM "PUBLIUS" AND THE AUTHOR(S) WERE ANONYMOUS FOR A LONG TIME.
The true authorship of these was only known several years after the fact. And took several decades after the authors had been determined to finalize exactly who wrote what.
Furthermore, virtually ever copy includes at least a copy of the Bil...more
Like this review?
yes
2 comments
Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
EVERYONE
In anticipation of the upcoming election season and my burgeoning respect and curiosity of the foundation of our federal government and justice systems, I decided to get back to the source, the heart of the matter if you will. In these papers, originally published in newspapers to persuade the general public of the benefit and virtuosity of the ideas coming forth from the COnstitutional Conventions, the theory and philosophy of some of our most important founding fathers is revealed. Yet it is n...more
Like this review?
yes
1 comments
Unless you are my age or majored in political science in college or constitutional emphasis in law school these powerful arguments in favor of our constitution may be unknown territory. And that would be a tragedy. At the time Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay and a few other of our founding fathers where presenting their arguments in the common press it was just assumed that every citizen could follow these densely reasoned essays without needing a spinmeister to dumb them down for...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 1994
Pres. Benson used to quote and highly recommend this book. It might have been over my head to really enjoy. Good to get a glimpse on how the Founding Fathers thought.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in December, 2007
Fantastic!
I have always had deep respect for the founding fathers, and reading the Federalist Papers just cemented my admiration for them. Madison, Hamilton and an assist from Jay wrote a work of depth and breadth about social and political science that is just astounding and is an exposition of the U.S. Constitution and why it is written that way it is.
Highly recommend this book for anyone that wants to understand the U.S. Constitution, or political science.
Be warned, though, this i...more
I have always had deep respect for the founding fathers, and reading the Federalist Papers just cemented my admiration for them. Madison, Hamilton and an assist from Jay wrote a work of depth and breadth about social and political science that is just astounding and is an exposition of the U.S. Constitution and why it is written that way it is.
Highly recommend this book for anyone that wants to understand the U.S. Constitution, or political science.
Be warned, though, this i...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in May, 2007
So far my favorites are 6 and 11. It's really remarkable how relevant some of these papers are (for example, did you know that people knew that Communism was a terrible idea 200 years ago?), and then there are always the entertaining, anachronistic bits (the thing on equal sharing of wealth was as clearly unthinkable to Hamilton as . . . paper money).
It's really interesting to see how the founding fathers compared their former status as colonies with the status of Asia and Africa as colonie...more
It's really interesting to see how the founding fathers compared their former status as colonies with the status of Asia and Africa as colonie...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2008
A very complete defense of the Constitution. My favorite part is after 84 papers of support, the 85th paper concludes, in essence, the Constitution is not perfect, but it is very good. We should approve it, and then amend it as applicable. I think this shows how visionary the writers of The Federalist Papers were. They knew that a revolutionary document had been assembled, the first of its kind, and with these standards in place, the Colonies could succeed. Two hundred and thirty yea...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2007
This one took me awhile but I'm glad I read it. It's a classic! It illuminates what some of the founders-- specifically Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison--had in mind during the writing and ratifying of the Constitution. It really is fascinating to read them attempt to address every conceivable argument and situation that could arise in the forming and operation of federal and state governments. The theme of checks and balances between governmental levels and branches occurs freque...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
So you've read the Bible, Book of Mormon, other scriptures. But have you read the Federalist Papers. Truly inspired compilation of arguments supporting our Constitution and our Democratic Republic system. Warning: It is somewhat depressing to read what our founding fathers invisioned and see how we have drifted so far. If you are a liberal, this book will be Greek to you. However, if you are open to learning, there is hope. If I were to support "required reading" lists, this book w...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.03 (809 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 4.28 (47 ratings) number of reviews: 85
popular shelves
other editions
quote
"It has been frequently remarked, that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country to decide, by their conduct and example, the important question, 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."
more quotes »
