Federalist Papers
Definition
The Federalist Papers are a series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay promoting ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
Analogy
Imagine you're trying to convince your friends to play a new board game but they're unsure about its rules. So you write detailed instructions explaining why this game is great - these instructions are like The Federalist Papers which explained why adopting US constitution was beneficial.
Related terms
Anti-Federalists: Those who opposed ratification of the Constitution because they feared it gave too much power to national government at expense of state governments.
Bill Of Rights: First ten amendments added to U.S. Constitution as result of Anti-Federalists' concerns during ratification process; these protect individual liberties against federal encroachment.
Ratification Process: The official way that an amendment is accepted or approved.
"Federalist Papers" appears in:
Subjects (1)
Study guides (3)
Practice Questions (6)
- What was the goal of the Federalist Papers?
- What was main purpose behind the Federalist Papers?
- How did the Federalist Papers, specifically Federalist No. 10, influence the initial public perception of the new U.S. Constitution?
- How did Alexander Hamilton's arguments in the Federalist Papers support ratification of the U.S Constitution?
- Who authored the majority of the Federalist Papers, which advocated for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution?
- What was a significant impact of the Federalist Papers on the ratification process?
Resources
© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.