In Defense of the Constitution

If anyone is looking for more insight to the workings of our Federal Government, look no further than the writings of John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, compiled in the greatest writings on American Government-The Federalist Papers.

As supporters of the new constitution and a strong central government struggled to get the Constitution ratified, they realized that New York, one of the most important of the original 13 colonies, did not have strong support for the Constitution in their legislature. In order to help ensure ratification, three of the greatest political minds of the time set out to defend the Constitution. John Jay (first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), Alexander Hamilton (first Secretary of the Treasury) and James Madison (4th President of the United States) published their writings and distributed them in New York, and later the entire country. Later, these writings were compiled and studied without end in all American government and law classes.

There are over 70 separate articles in the Federalist(although different editions compile different ones) each dealing with a different aspect of government. Whether it be the advantages of having bicameral house, or the limits on the executive powers, and finally an overview of the judicial branch. This book gives endless amounts of insight. I will admit that the reading is advanced, and one must be ready to think.

A side, and rather interesting note. Despite the endless hours that Jay, Hamilton and Madison put into these articles, they actually did more harm than good, and if not for incredible political motivation by Hamilton, New York would not have ratified the Constitution.