FEDERALIST PAPERS

'The Writings that Shaped the US Constitution' is the sub-title of these essays which first appeared in 1787-88 as a series of articles in New York City's newspapers to explain and defend the proposed Constitution of the United States. Ever since they have been read and studied around the world. The authors were three of the greatest politicians in American history - Alexander Hamilton and John Jay of New York, and James Madison of Virginia. Hamilton and Madison were delegates to the Federal Convention, which framed the Constitution, and Jay helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris in 1783 which won British recognition of American Independence. Each paper appears from The Federalist, numbers 1, 2, 6, 9, 10, 14, 15, 37, 39, 40, 47, 48, 49, 51, 70, 78, 84 and 85 plus an Address to the People of the State of New York and the Constitution of the US. The Federalist no.37 saw Madison present a careful analysis of the difficulties the Convention faced while not disclosing his part in framing the Constitution, posing as an anonymous citizen of New York. These were tough-minded, practical politicians and sophisticated political and constitutional theorists who saw each role as a valuable buttress for the other. 255 page new full price paperback.