Federalist Papers, The

by James Madison Alexander Hamilton, Jim Killavey (Reader)

The Federalist Papers are a series of 85 articles, written between 1787 and 1788, advocating for the ratification of the United States Constitution. They serve as a primary source for interpretation of the Constitution, as they outline the philosophy and motivation of the proposed system of government. The articles were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, under the pseudonym "Publius." James Madison is generally credited as the father of the Constitution and became the fourth president of the United States. Alexander Hamilton was an active delegate at the Constitutional Convention, and became the first Secretary of the Treasury. John Jay became the first Chief Justice of the United States. The following representative essays are included in this collection as well as the United States Constitution and the Amendments: "Introduction," by Alexander Hamilton; "Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence," by John Jay (in four parts); "Concerning Dangers from Dissensions Between the States," by Alexander Hamilton; "The Consequences of Hostilities Between the States," by Alexander Hamilton; "The Utility of the Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection," by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison; and more.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History

MP3 CD

First published January 1, 1949

Reviews

[Michael Grizer (He-Him) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moderately difficult language and quite wordy and flowery at times, but worth reading, especially in current times. Gives a solid understanding of why the founders created the system they did. It is interesting to see how some of his arguments have not stood the test of time. He clearly did not foresee the emergence of the two-party system and the winner-take-all scorched-earth style of governing that has created. Hamilton had far more confidence in the goodness of leaders than is clearly warranted.

[Debra Croft · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historically important but SO boring! Alexander Hamilton could have done with a ruthless editor. He could have made all the same points, more effectively, with half the words. The most interesting aspect of the papers is that astonishing superfluity of language. I had to force myself to read it though, in small increments, and I am glad to be finally finished with it.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the Audible version narrated by Jim Killavey. I thought his narration was a annoying in some respects, but I was able to ignore it and focus on the words, which were easily understandable enough to allow me to forgive other annoyances. So, in rating the book, I don't account for the annoyances I felt from the narration.

I roughly estimate, based on the length of this version, that it contained about one quarter of the total essays from The Federalist Papers. I listened to it rather casually, so I can't claim that everything sunk in. But I still felt it was valuable. The essay dealing with the election of the president and the reasons behind the electoral college was interesting to me, because I could see that our country has, in my opinion, strayed away from the original procedures as defined in the Constitution on this matter, and not in ways that improve the process. We try to tie the election too directly to the immediate will of the people, and the people are, and here I include myself, generally too ignorant of the important considerations to make a good choice. And the elections simply become a very expensive and time consuming popularity contest. The electoral college was supposed to avoid this downfall of too much democracy. Now the electoral college has no real role in the process. The members simply vote the way that the the majority of the people in their constituency votes, meaning that there is no need for actual people in those positions. This simply results in over representation of the people from less populous states.

The last portion of the Audible audibook reads through the entire text of the Constitution and the amendments thereto, and was a good reminder of the contents of those documents.

[Anna Snader]

Madison writes the best essays, even though Hamilton gets a musical. Federalist 10 is my favorite and is more interesting every time!

Honestly, I wanted to read all of them (I had myself on a reading schedule) but it’s currently not feasible. Still very informative :)

[Aaron Schuschu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Approximate dates; got bored after the first 15

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic

[Crew Cut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this to understand the government tbh

[Mike Cheng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of my favorites: Federalist No. 3 by John Jay discussing the foreign policy advantages of a strong national government; Federalist No. 6 by Alexander Hamilton similarly extolling the benefits of a strong central government and citing the falls of Sparta, Athens, Rome, and Carthage as examples of failure, as experience is “the least fallible guide”; Federalist No. 10 by James Madison promoting a republican form of government (over a purely democratic one) to protect against the inevitability of factions and to guard against the tyranny of the majority; Federalist Nos. 47 and 51 by Madison (echoing Montesquieu) on the importance of separation of powers and checks and balances, with the famous quotes “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition” and “If men were angels, no government would be necessary”; and Federalist No. 70 by Hamilton on the reasons for a unitary Executive (i.e., the President) - more energy in “decision, activity, secrecy, and dispatch”, more accountable to the people because it is easier to blame one person than a group, and more insulated against encroachment from the Legislative branch (a body which is by contrast an intentionally slow moving body so as to allow for deliberation).

[Ottootto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting because of how important this debate was and how salient it still is. Why don't we read this in American History classes? It would help all of us understand where we've been as a country and how our journey manifests itself today in the prevailing political perspectives that appear incomprehensible to those holding opposing viewpoints.