The Federalist Papers

Arguing for the ratification of the Constitution of the United States of America, the Federalist Papers are a series of eighty-five articles written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. On September 17, 1787, the Constitution was passed by congress and sent to the states for ratification. In response to the first of what are now called The Anti-Federalist Papers, Hamilton saw the need for a series of articles to argue for the Constitution as it was ratified by the the individual states. The first of these articles appeared in three New York newspapers on October 27, 1787. The last article was published May 28, 1788, just a few days before the Constitution was ratified and became a guiding document for the new nation.The Federalist Papers are still used today as a primary source of interpretation for the Constitution of the United States.