• Following the Constitutional Convention, the 55 delegates returned to their home states

• Their job was to convince the people (the state legislatures) that this was as near perfect a document as could be devised

• 9 of 13 states needed to ratify the Constitution in order for it to take effect

• During this time, a debate emerged over the role and the power of the this new, central government created by the Constitution

• The two sides that emerged in this debate: The Federalist and the Anti-Federalists

(note: these are not political parties, but two sides of a debate)

The Federalist Debate

THE FEDERALISTSGeorge Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay

~ supported a strong, nationalgovernment that would share power with the states

~ believed that the checks and balanceswritten into the Constitution providedadequate protection for all—the House of Representatives would protect the people’s interests, the Senate would protect the states’ interests, the president would protect the nationalinterests, and the Supreme Court wouldprotect the people’s fundamental interests

~ believed that many rights were already specified in the Constitution, and they wereconcerned that a specific list of rightsmight not be inclusive enough and might actually limit rights to only those listed

~ promised that a bill of rights would be added to the ratified document

THE ANTI-FEDERALISTSPatrick Henry, George Clinton

~ supported a weaker nationalgovernment with more power residing with the states

~ opposed a central government that might dominate state or local governments

~ worried that freedoms gained at such aHigh cost would be lost through theGovernment’s abuse of power

~ believed that without a bill of rights, theConstitution did not adequately protect individual liberties

The Federalist Papers

In an effort to help convince the public to support the new Constitution and its ratification, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote a series of 85 essays known as The Federalist (or The Federalist Papers).

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”-- James Madison, Federalist No. 51

“Publius”(pseudonym that referred to Publius Valerius Pubicola, a defender of the ancient Roman Republic)

Alexander Hamilton(NY) wrote 51 of the essays

John Jay (NY) wrote 5 of the essays

James Madison(VA) wrote 26 of the essays

* Hamilton and Madison jointly authored 3 of the essays

#1 Introduction to The Federalist PapersGovernment’s Responsibilities#2-5 Foreign Policy#6-10 Domestic Policy#11-13 Advantages to staying united#14 Summary of issues coveredProblems in the Current American Confederacy#15-17 No federal authority over the citizens#18-20 Weaknesses in other confederacies#21-22 Problems with the Articles of ConfederationPower Needed to Fulfill Responsibilities#23-26 Foreign Defense#27-29 Domestic Defense#30-36 TaxationDrafting the Constitution#37-40 Constitutional Convention#41-44 Federal Powers#45-46 State Powers#47-51 “Separation of Powers” within the governmentStructure of Proposed Government#52-58 House of Representatives#59-61 Congress #62-66 Senate#67-77 Executive#78-83 Judiciary#84-85 Miscellaneous

The Federalist Papers

“… the best commentary on the principles of government which was ever written.”

--Thomas Jefferson

“It is a complete guide to our Constitution, and it is appealed to by all parties in the questions to which that instrument gave birth.” -- US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall

The Federalist Papers

Since the 1790s, politicians, lawyers, judges, and scholars have used ideas from The Federalist Papers to guide their decisions about constitutional issues of the day.

Friday, November 23, 1787--James Madison

FEDERALIST No. 10

• The causes of factions cannot be eliminated but it can be controlled.

• A republic is the remedy for the problem of factions in a republic.

• If a faction represents a majority opinion, it will be controlled in an extensive republic.

• With a large number of electors, interests will be varied and no single set of interests will dominate.

• With an extensive territory, a faction or factious leaders will be unable to gain control and dominate.

• The division of power between the national and state governments (federalism) will allow for consideration of “great” interests which affect the public welfare of all people, as well as the particular interests of a state or region.

http://www.bridgew.edu/History/TAH/pdf/Stevens%20Const%20Study%20Guide%20Key.pdf

Main Argument: A republican form of government, especially a large republic, will

negate the problem of factions.

Why is Federalist No. 10 considered one of the most important documents in US History?

• Promotes the idea that government should represent the people (republic)

• Refutes the claim that a pure democracy is the best form of government

• Recognizes that factions are dangerous to democratic government

• States that factions can be controlled by republican government• Claims and defends the argument that large and extensive

republics do the best job of controlling factions, thereby pacing the way for both increased population and territory of the US. This point somewhat refutes the beliefs of the time that a smaller republic would be the most representative and therefore the best government.

http://www.bridgew.edu/History/TAH/pdf/Stevens%20Const%20Study%20Guide%20Key.pdf