Federalist Papers

Examples of Federalist Papers in the following topics:

• Federalists

  • Federalists supported ratification of the new United States Constitution and published The Federalist Papers to encourage support from the states.
  • There are many highlights among the essays of The Federalist Papers.
  • The Federalist Papers were written to support ratification of the Constitution, specifically in New York.
  • While The Federalist Papers certainly had some effect on its passage, other forces were also influential.
  • Title page of the first printing of what would be The Federalist Papers (1788).

• The Federalists

  • The most forceful defense of the new Constitution was The Federalist Papers, a compilation of 85 anonymous essays published in New York City to convince the people of the state to vote for ratification.
  • The Federalist papers were written to support the ratification of the Constitution, specifically in New York.
  • Certainly the Federalist papers were more important in New York than anywhere else, although the personal influence of well-known Federalists (Hamilton and Jay) and Anti-Federalists (George Clinton) played an important factor in the debates and eventual ratification of the Constitution in New York as well.
  • With the passage of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the first Federalist movement and the Anti-Federalist movements eventually dispersed, although many of the original Federalists and Anti-Federalists would play key roles in the formation of the Federalist and Democratic-Republican Parties.
  • In short, nearly all of the opponents of the Federalist movement became opponents of the Federalist Party.

• The Anti-Federalists

  • As the Federalists moved to amend the Articles, eventually leading to the Philadelphia Convention and drafting of a new Constitution, they dubbed their opposition Anti-Federalists.
  • These so-called Anti-Federalists rejected the term, arguing that they were the true federalists.
  • However, the Federalists prevailed and Anti-Federalist remained the term of choice for all opposed to amending the Articles of Confederation.
  • Anti-Federalists represented diverse, though similar, opinions.
  • Historians gathered the best and most influential of the subsequent articles and speeches into a collection known as the Anti-Federalist Papers, alluding to the well-known Federalist Papers.

• The Ratification of the Constitution

  • Those who favored ratification of the Constitution were known as Federalists, while those who opposed it were considered Anti- Federalists.
  • These arguments were made most succinctly by three Federalists, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, in a series of essays popularly referred to as "The Federalist Papers. " The essays explored the proposed Constitution, defended its provisions, and and outlined the ways that its checks & balances would prevent abuses of power.
  • Hamilton led the Federalist's campaign, which included the fast-paced appearance of The Federalist Papers in New York newspapers, and on July 26, 1788, New York ratified with a recommendation that a bill of rights be added.
  • The Senate of 11 states included 20 Federalists to two Virginian Anti-Federalists.
  • Compare the political concerns of the Federalist with that of the Anti-Federalist

• The Holdouts: Virginia and New York

  • Two parties soon developed: one in opposition (the Anti-Federalists) to, and one in support (the Federalists) of, the Constitution.
  • Hamilton, Madison, and Jay wrote a series of commentaries under the name of "Publius", now known as the Federalist Papers, in support of the new instrument of government; however, the primary aim of the essays was to aid ratification in the state of New York, at that time a hotbed of anti-federalism.
  • Certainly "The Federalist" was more important there than anywhere else, however the personal influence of well-known Federalists, for instance Hamilton and Jay, and Anti-Federalists, including Governor George Clinton, was also extremely significant to the process of ratification.
  • As for Virginia, which only ratified the Constitution at its convention on June 25, Hamilton writes in a letter to Madison that the collected edition of "The Federalist" had been sent to Virginia for the purpose of advocating in favor of the Constitution.
  • It is likely that these editions were primarily used as a "debater's handbook" rather than as a strong persuasive piece in support of the Federalists' cause, though the distinction is a small one.

• The Transfer of Power between the Federalists and the Republicans

  • The Federalists were dominant until the Election of 1800.
  • The Federalists appealed to the business community, the Republicans to the planters and farmers.
  • It also alienated some original Federalists.
  • For instance, Madison largely wrote the Constitution of 1789 and published prolifically on supporting ratification (the Federalist Papers), but began to vehemently oppose the program of the Hamiltonians and their new Federalist Party from 1789-1800.
  • Identify the central conflict between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists (Democratic-Republicans)

• The Anti-Federalists

  • As the Federalists moved forward with their efforts to amend the Articles, they applied the term "Anti-Federalist" to this type of opposition.
  • The Anti-Federalists rejected the term, arguing that they were the true Federalists.
  • For example, an unknown Anti-Federalist signed his public correspondence as "A Federal Farmer" and the New York committee opposing the Constitution was called the "Federal Republican Committee. " However, the Federalists prevailed and the name Anti-Federalist stuck to their opposition.
  • Another complaint of the Anti-Federalists was that the Constitution provided for a centralized rather than federal form of government (in The Federalist Papers, James Madison wrote that the new Constitution has characteristics of both) and that a truly federal form of government was a leaguing of states as under the Articles of Confederation.
  • Anti-Federalists are thus credited with pressuring Federalists to concede the U.S.

• The Ratification Debate

  • The process of ratifying the proposed United States Constitution led to prolonged debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
  • Two parties soon developed: Federalists in support of the Constitution and Anti-Federalists opposed.
  • Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote a series of essays popularly referred to as The Federalist Papers, which supported ratification and attacked the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
  • The Federalists succeeded owing largely to Hamilton's efforts to reach a number of key compromises with moderate Anti-Federalists.
  • The newly elected Congress was a victory for Federalists, as the Senate included 20 Federalists and two Anti-Federalists, and the House would seat 48 Federalists and just 11 Anti-Federalists.

• The Final Document

  • Despite quarreling between Federalists and Anti-Federalists, the Constitutional Convention ratified the Constitution in September 1788.
  • Hamilton led the Federalist campaign, which included the fast-paced appearance of the Federalist Papers in New York newspapers.
  • The new Congress was a triumph for the Federalists.
  • The Senate of 11 states would be 20 Federalists to two Virginia (Henry) Anti-federalists.
  • The House would seat 48 Federalists to 11 Antis from only four states: Massachusetts, New York, Virginia and South Carolina.

• Bankers and Lawyers

  • Maryland, involving a federalist alliance contesting the state's authority, the Supreme Court upheld the legality of the Second Bank.
  • In 1819, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, a federalist, ruled that the state of Maryland could not impede the power of the federal bank.
  • These federalists sought internal improvements and stronger national infrastructure.
  • In an effort to take control of the unstable economy, Jackson issued a Specie Circular in 1836 requiring all purchases of federal lands to be paid in metal coin rather than paper money.
  • Many blamed the economic turmoil on the banks' irresponsibility in funding rampant speculation and issuing excessive paper money unbacked by bullion reserves.