The Federalist Debate
• 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 FEDERALISTS
George Washington, James Madison, Alexander
Hamilton, and John Jay
~ supported a strong, national
government that would share power
with the states
~ believed that the checks and balances
written into the Constitution provided
adequate 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 national
interests, and the Supreme Court would
protect the people’s fundamental interests
~ believed that many rights were already
specified in the Constitution, and they were
concerned that a specific list of rights
might 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-FEDERALISTS
Patrick Henry, George Clinton
~ supported a weaker national
government with more power residing
with the states
~ opposed a central government that might
dominate state or local governments
~ worried that freedoms gained at such a
High cost would be lost through the
Government’s abuse of power
~ believed that without a bill of rights, the
Constitution did not adequately protect
individual liberties
The Federalist Papers
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”
-- James Madison, Federalist No. 51
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).
“Publius”
(pseudonym that referred to Publius Valerius Pubicola, a defender of the ancient Roman Republic)
Alexander Hamilton
(NY) wrote 51 of the
essays
James Madison
(VA) wrote 26
of the essays
* Hamilton and Madison jointly authored 3 of the essays
John Jay (NY) wrote
5 of the essays
#1 Introduction to The Federalist Papers
Government’s Responsibilities
#2-5 Foreign Policy
#6-10 Domestic Policy
#11-13 Advantages to staying united
#14 Summary of issues covered
Problems 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 Confederation
Power Needed to Fulfill Responsibilities
#23-26 Foreign Defense
#27-29 Domestic Defense
#30-36 Taxation
Drafting the Constitution
#37-40 Constitutional Convention
#41-44 Federal Powers
#45-46 State Powers
#47-51 “Separation of Powers” within the government
Structure 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.
Federalist No. 10
1. Factions = groups that want to control
the gov’t….dangerous, BUT because
the U.S. is a large republic it will be hard
for one group to dominate. Factions will
have to work together to
control…ultimately it will benefit
everyone
2. Citizens must VOTE!
Federalist No. 45
1. States created the national government;
even choose their U.S. Senators
2. National gov’t = power to wage war and
protect the country
State gov’t = operates in times of peace
and security…all the time
Federalist No. 51
1. Judicial branch is different b/c the
justices are appointed (not elected); their
job is to interpret the Constitution NOT
win re-election and protect their jobs
2. “If men were angels, no government
would be necessary.”…we need some
form of control. The people created the
gov’t and must limit its powers to
prevent abuse.
Federalist No. 78
1. Supreme Court justices serve for LIFE.
2. Justices should not be concerned w/ reelection and responding to the whims of
the people. Their job is to reflect on the
meaning of the Constitution.