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Authors:
Ken Drexler, Reference Specialist, Researcher and Reference Services Division
Robert Brammer, Legal Information Specialist, Law Library of Congress
Editor:
Barbara Bavis, Bibliographic and Research Instruction Librarian, Law Library of Congress
Created: May 3, 2019
Last Updated: August 13, 2019
The Federalist Papers were a series of eighty-five essays urging the citizens of New York to ratify the new United States Constitution. Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, the essays originally appeared anonymously in New York newspapers in 1787 and 1788 under the pen name "Publius." The Federalist Papers are considered one of the most important sources for interpreting and understanding the original intent of the Constitution.