The Federalist Papers: A Collection of Essays Written in Favour of the New Constitution Paperback – September 8, 2015

Full and unabridged complete collection of the Federalist papers. Takes time to read and absorb, but well worth the time. Historically true and fact-based. I didn't read them sequentially in order. I started with Federalist No. 70 about the Executive Department of our government, what an Executive should be and not be. Then Federalist No. 42, about the Powers Conferred by the Constitution. And Federalist No 2, 3, 4 & 5 all about Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence. All of these may help the reader understand what's happening today not only in our own America, but around the world. Again, paperback, affordable, and a valued asset to anyone's library.

While the Constitutional Convention of 1787 produced the document we now recognize as the Constitution of the United States, it was not automatically (or enthusiastically) endorsed by all the founding colonies. The Federalist Papers are a collection of 85 essays written in favor of ratifying the Constitution, penned by Alexander Hamilton (first Secretary of the Treasury), James Madison (fourth President of the United States), and John Jay (first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court).Written nearly 250 years ago, the language of these essays is immediately tough to decipher and yet also poetic and profound. Many of the passages required multiple readings (and sometimes a dictionary) in order to comprehend their meaning. Despite these moderate hurdles, the political knowledge espoused by these three men (mostly Hamilton and Madison) is truly breathtaking—their knowledge of history, commerce, and law puts most modern politicians to shame. They are at their best when taking a broad view of human affairs, their general reflections both wise and quotable, and I found many passages that felt prescient of our current society. The trade off between the need for government and the desire for liberty, for example, or the knowledge that it is “the nature of war to increase the executive at the expense of the legislative authority.”Some of the topics covered in these essays include the division of powers, taxation, and the organization of a national defense and the necessity of a powerful navy. The authors attack these topics with vigor, arguing that the colonies would be stronger together in every instance as opposed to quarreling amongst each other and taxing each other’s imports and exports. One of the most famous essays—#10 (written by Madison)—explains that while citizens may fear that a larger government would impede upon their liberty, extending the sphere would “take in a greater variety of parties and interests,” and would make it “less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens.” Indeed, essay #7 (written by Hamilton) concludes with the statement “divide et impera (divide and command) must be the motto of every nation that either hates or fears us.”Something of note was the absence of an essay about slavery. Given that Madison was a slave owner and Hamilton an abolitionist, this is exemplary of the contention around the issue at the time. The term ‘federalist’ is appropriate as it constitutes the compromises required to get the Constitution written and eventually ratified. “It is a matter both of wonder and regret, that those who raise so many objections against the new Constitution should never call to mind the defects of that which is to be exchanged for it,” Madison writes in essay #38. “It is not necessary that the former should be perfect; it is sufficient that the latter is more imperfect.” Compromise was indeed the spirit of the Constitution.I found these essays to be fascinating and informative despite the difficultly of the language. These men write about infinitely complex issues and do their best to project into the future where they thought their fledging society would go. While they may not have been very accurate, and would surely be appalled at the gargantuan size of our federal government today, we should be thankful they wrote these essays for the public consideration (and for the legislatures who ultimately ratified our Constitution).The final essay ends with a quote from the Scottish philosopher David Hume: “To balance a large state or society, whether monarchical or republican, on general laws, is a work of so great difficulty, that no human genius, however comprehensive, is able, by the mere dint of reason and reflection, to effect it. The judgments of many must unite in the work; experience must guide their labor; time must bring it to perfection, and the feeling of inconveniences must correct the mistakes which they inevitably fall into in their first trials and experiments.”The knowledge stored in these pages is profound and insightful and undoubtedly swayed many, including myself, towards the conclusion that the states of America are stronger united than divided.

Get it, read it cover to cover and you will be years ahead of anyone born after 1990.

The Federalist Papers delves into the Constitution, providing clarification of the intent and reasoning behind the original document. Hamilton, Madison and Jay were brilliant minds writing in English in such a way as to clarify the significance of our Constitution. This should be required reading for every patriotic American. Reading and understanding The Federalist Papers allows the reader to form their own opinion rather than having to rely on the misinformation and opinions of those with a separate agenda. Understanding our Constitution defines what made America great.

I have heard and read a bit about the Federalist Papers but had never read one. I have just begun to read the papers, one a day. To this point, I have been totally amazed at the insight of events going on today that are expressed in the papers I have read so far. They are presenting reasons for forming the country that we now know as the United States of America, and against maintaining thirteen different countries, or even taking these thirteen colonies and combining them is such a way to form three or four different countries. It is almost as if they are looking into a crystal ball at the world today and saying what they thought would be the best for the people of this new nation. Truly amazing at the insight of these individuals. I will read another paper tonight and think about it tomorrow, and I think I will again be truly amazed at their forethought for us.

I am willing to bet I just got unlucky with a fragile copy, but just in case I’m not, putting it out there that the spine on my copy has basically completely disconnected from the majority of the pages, meaning I can’t really read my copy at all anymore. I had no other issues up until the point that happened though

A fascinating read if you’re at all interested in the thinking and foundational principles used and applied in the formation of the U.S. Constitution. The writing style of Hamilton, Jay and Madison took me a little while to grasp but eventually I got there. My purpose in getting the book was to better understand the founders thinking in the writing of the Constitution as it seems to me to be under assault. And by knowing the document better I’m more able to defend its principles when arguments are put forward to dismantle it in whole or part.

We all know the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights but this series of essays provides the background to why each of the original bill of rights is what it is. Pick an amendment, these papers explain the reason behind the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and so on. Challenging to read since the style is different today in how we put forth a convincing argument. These essays do a very good job of helping people understand the amendments and why they important and should be supported. Shame or congress doesn't read this. Written under "ghost" names for fear of execution by the British, everyone needs to read these essays to really understand how fortunate we are to have our bill of rights.

Sans égal en français, les Federalist Papers font la défense d'un système républicain basé sur la représentation. Aucune hypocrisie, la "pure democracy" athénienne est critiquée comme faible et impossible à réaliser sur un territoire immense. à la place, un système à trois pouvoirs que nous retrouverons plus tard dans toutes les constitutions républicaines du monde : l'exécutif, le législatif et le judiciaire.Même si les arguments datent, ils sont toujours aussi solides. La seule différence avec aujourd'hui, c'est que le peuple américain a changé, d'où un optimisme de la part des auteurs qui peut paraître naïf pour les lecteurs modernes.Pour les bilingues qui s'intéressent au constitutionalisme en général ou à l'histoire américaine. Il est aussi possible de lire les essais pour le seul plaisir puisque Madison et Hamilton manient un anglais sublime.Notez que cette édition n'est pas de haute qualité et que chaque page contient énormément de caractères, rendant la lecture parfois pénible.

Very interesting but very convoluted prose. Takes a lot of concentration to get through sentences paragraphs long. Only for the nerds among us! essential reading for any interested in the developement of the USA.

It’s the Ferderalist Papers; enough said!