Simone Lawson
The Federalists, supporters of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, were instrumental in shaping the new Constitution in 1787. They believed that a strong central government was necessary to safeguard the liberty and independence that the American Revolution had created. Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, leading Federalists, wrote The Federalist Papers, a series of 85 essays advocating for the ratification of the Constitution. They argued that the Constitution was a republican remedy for the diseases most incident to republican government. The Federalists were well-organised, well-funded, and made effective use of the printed word, with most newspapers supporting their political plan. They believed that the greatest threat to the U.S. came from the excesses of democracy, rather than the abuse of central power. They also promoted the ratification of the Jay Treaty to maintain stable relations with Britain.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Well-organised and well-funded | Used the printed word effectively |
| Had support from most newspapers | Published articles and pamphlets to explain why the people should approve the Constitution |
| Had talented leaders with national-level experience | Included two national celebrities of the period: Benjamin Franklin and George Washington |
| Had influential leaders | Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison |
| Wrote many essays advocating for the ratification of the Constitution | The Federalist Papers |
| Believed the greatest threat to the future of the United States was the excesses of democracy | Wanted to constrain democracy in favour of a stronger central government |
| Believed the Constitution was required to safeguard the liberty and independence that the American Revolution had created | Saw their most important role as defending the social gains of the Revolution |
| Believed the Constitution was a "republican remedy for the diseases most incident to republican government" | Wanted to prevent the abuse of power by a tyrannical central figure |
| Believed the Articles of Confederation were weak | Supported the Implied Powers of the President within the Constitution and Federal Supremacy |
| Established the First National Bank in 1791 | Wanted to ensure a safe and fair system of trading and exchanging securities through a stable national currency |
| Had international relations considerations | Promoted the ratification of the Jay Treaty to maintain stable relations with Britain |
| Had economic policies | Hamilton managed to get investors to invest in public securities to give the federal government money to pay off the debt of each state |
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What You'll Learn
Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers, originally known simply as The Federalist, is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius". The collection was written and published between October 1787 and May 1788 to promote and urge the ratification of the United States Constitution. The authors of The Federalist Papers attempted to hide their identities due to Hamilton and Madison having attended the convention, but astute observers correctly discerned their identities.
The Federalist Papers were written in response to the Anti-Federalist Papers, a series of articles and public letters that criticised the new Constitution. Alexander Hamilton, an influential Federalist, decided to launch a measured defence and extensive explanation of the proposed Constitution to the people of New York State. In Federalist No. 1, Hamilton wrote that the series would "endeavour to give a satisfactory answer to all the objections which shall have made their appearance, that may seem to have any claim to your attention." Hamilton recruited collaborators for the project, enlisting the contributions of Madison and Jay.
The Federalist Papers were published in various New York state newspapers of the time, including The Independent Journal, the New York Packet, and The Daily Advertiser. The essays explain particular provisions of the Constitution in detail and, because Hamilton and Madison were each members of the Constitutional Convention, they are often used today to interpret the intentions of those drafting the Constitution. The high demand for the essays led to their publication in a more permanent form, with the first 36 essays published as a bound volume on March 22, 1788, and a second volume containing the rest of the 85 essays published on May 28, 1788.
The Federalist Papers are considered one of the most important documents in American history, providing an excellent insight into the roots of the American government and the reasoning behind the USA. They outline the ideology of the Federalists during the creation of the U.S. Constitution, including their belief that the greatest threat to the future of the United States was not the abuse of central power, but the excesses of democracy. The Federalists supported a strong national government, a centralised system of government, and a more mercantile economy.
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Ratification of the Constitution
The Federalists played a crucial role in the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, a process that took place in 1787 and 1788. The supporters of the proposed Constitution called themselves Federalists, and their central belief was that a strong national government was needed to safeguard the liberty and independence that the American Revolution had won. They believed that the greatest threat to the United States did not lie in the abuse of central power but in the excesses of democracy, as evidenced by events like Shays' Rebellion.
The Federalists were well-organised and well-funded, and they made effective use of the printed word to spread their message. Most newspapers supported the Federalists' political plan and published articles and pamphlets explaining why the people should approve the Constitution. The Federalist Papers, a collection of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, were particularly influential. These papers advocated for the ratification of the Constitution and laid out the ideology of the Federalists. The first of these essays was published under the pseudonym "Publius" in a New York newspaper on October 27, 1787, and was addressed to the people of New York.
The Federalists believed that the Constitution was necessary to prevent the instability that they saw as inevitable without a strong centralised government. They argued that the Constitution included protections for individual liberties in Article I, Sections 9 and 10, and that the entire document, with its checks and balances, was effectively a Bill of Rights. They also maintained that the Constitution included preventative measures to stop a tyrant from taking power, such as checks and balances, Senate approval/ratification, Judicial Review, and Executive appointed positions.
The ratification debate was contentious, with Federalists and Anti-Federalists battling it out in state conventions across the country. The Anti-Federalists opposed the creation of a stronger national government and sought less drastic changes to the Articles of Confederation. Despite their efforts, the Federalists succeeded in getting the Constitution ratified by nine or more state conventions, although they faced strong opposition in states like New York, where the Anti-Federalists dominated the convention. The Federalists' success in the ratification process laid the foundation for the establishment of a stronger central government and the development of the United States as a nation.
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Checks and balances
The Federalist Papers, and in particular Federalist No. 51, are a foundation text of constitutional interpretation, commonly cited by American jurists and court systems. In it, James Madison explains and defends the checks and balances system in the Constitution.
Madison's idea was that the politicians and individuals in public service in the U.S. would all have their own interests and passions, and would push legislation that serves those interests. Madison emphasized that a system of checks and balances would prevent this from happening. He also notes that the system of checks and balances was not a new idea, but rather a universal concept that is concrete in political theory, with roots in the European Enlightenment period.
In Federalist No. 51, Madison states that:
> "The great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same [branch], consists in giving to those who administer each [branch], the necessary constitutional means, and personal motives, to resist encroachments of the others… Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place."
Madison's theory was that since Congress is not dependent on the presidency or the courts for either its authority or its election to office, members will jealously guard its power from encroachments by the other two branches and vice versa. This is what Madison calls the "great security".
In a republican form of government, Madison asserts, the legislative branch is the strongest, and therefore must be divided into different branches, be as independent from each other as possible, and be rendered by different modes of election. He stresses the need for the checks and balances. The government is guarded against usurpations because it is divided into distinct and separate departments. In 1787, power over people was divided both through federalism (between the federal government and the state governments) and through branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) within the national (or federal) government.
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Strong central government
The Federalists, supporters of the Constitution, believed that the greatest threat to the future of the United States was not the abuse of central power, but the excesses of democracy. They saw the need for a strong central government to constrain democracy and ensure the nation thrived.
Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, the authors of the Federalist Papers, were influential Federalists who advocated for a stronger national government. They believed that the Articles of Confederation, the predecessor of the Constitution, were weak and indicative of the instability that a nation will face without a strong centralized government. They also believed that the republican form of government could be adapted to the large expanse of territory and widely divergent interests found in the United States.
The Federalist Party, which formed in 1791, advocated for a strong central government with a liberal construction of the Constitution. They believed in the implied powers of the President within the Constitution and federal supremacy. They also supported a mercantile economy, an expansive interpretation of congressional powers, and a governmental hierarchy with the national government superior to state governments.
To ensure the adoption of the Constitution, Federalists promised to add amendments specifically protecting individual liberties, including the First Amendment, which became the Bill of Rights. They argued that the separation of powers among the three branches of government protected the rights of the people, as none could assume control over the other.
The Federalists were well-organized, well-funded, and made careful use of the printed word to spread their message. They had the support of many talented leaders of the era, including Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, and most newspapers supported their political plan.
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Individual liberties
The Federalists, supporters of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, believed that the Constitution was required to safeguard the liberty and independence that the American Revolution had created. They saw their most important role as defending the social gains of the Revolution.
Federalists believed that the Constitution already ensured individual rights to the citizens and that a "Bill of Rights" was unnecessary and even dangerous. They argued that the entire Constitution, with its institutional restraints and checks and balances, was, in effect, a Bill of Rights. They also believed that because it would be impossible to list all the rights afforded to Americans, it would be best to list none.
However, to ensure the adoption of the Constitution, Federalists such as James Madison promised to add amendments specifically protecting individual liberties. Madison introduced 12 amendments during the First Congress in 1789, 10 of which were ratified by the states and took effect in 1791. These are known today as the Bill of Rights.
The Bill of Rights includes guarantees of freedom of religion, speech, press, peaceable assembly, and petition. It has also been interpreted to protect the right of association. The Federalists' promise to add a Bill of Rights was largely to head off the possibility of a second convention that might undo the work of the first.
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Frequently asked questions
The Federalist Papers were a series of 85 articles published in New York City newspapers advocating for the ratification of the Constitution. They were written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the pseudonym "Publius".
The Federalists believed in a strong central government, weaker state governments, indirect elections, longer term limits for officeholders, and representative democracy. They also believed that the Constitution was necessary to safeguard the liberty and independence that the American Revolution had brought about.
The Federalists were instrumental in shaping the new US Constitution, which strengthened the national government. They also contributed to the adoption of the Constitution by advocating for it in their writings and by influencing the delegates to the state ratifying conventions.
