On This Day: The Federalist Papers Begin (1787)

Eighty-five essays defending a Constitution most readers had not yet seen.

The Federalist Papers are a collection of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay between October 1787 and May 1788, under the collective pseudonym "Publius." They were written to persuade New York voters to ratify the new Constitution. They became the most important exp