The eighty-five Federalist articles were written by Alexander Hamilton,
James Madison and John Jay; three Founding Fathers who together sought
to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution. This
definitive edition includes all 85 articles, and the text of the
Constitution for ease of reference. Introduced and passed into law
between 1787 and 1788, these papers were influential in persuading the
citizens of the states to ratify the United States Constitution. Most of
the Federalist Papers are occupied directly or indirectly with the terms
of the constitution, explaining and justifying how each was laid out.
There is some diversion between the opinions expressed and events which
followed - Hamilton, for example, was opposed to the notion of a Bill of
Rights as he felt the original document provided enough protection for
the citizenry. However, the Bill of Rights was eventually created in
1789 and ratified in 1791.