ist, as this collection of individual articles came to be called, is nothing less than an articulation and defense of political values that were in the late 18th century and very much remain even in the modern period unique in history for their analytical detail. Point by point, the authors go through the articles of the Constitution and explain them for those who are to be governed. Hamilton and Madison author most of The Federalist, with Jay writing only a fraction of the papers. All of the papers are signed with the pseudonym Publius. Their purpose is to convince the public that the best hope for the American future lies in ratification of the Constitution as the law of the land. Jay focuses mainly on foreign affairs, i.e., with the relationship of the United States with other nations of Europe, many of which still had ambitions in North America at the time of publication. His conclusion is that a strong federal/national system has the best chance of withstanding attack from outside. Hamilton focuses on the position of the national government vis-à-vis the states in the Constitution. Of the three, Hamilton shows himself to be the most class conscious and the most oriented toward the idea of a powerful executive in government. In fact, his view is that states should be secondary to the national government--so much so that in effect the country would have an almost omnipotent executive.
Madison, too, favors a strong central government, but he is able to interpret the problems of ratification for both the lawmakers and for the common man. His main focus (particularly in Essay No. 10) is upon the position of the individual within the federal system of government. This is why he dwells so much on the need to overcome factionalism, whether between classes or between political groups (parties), at least insofar as it prevents the national government from functioning on its citizens' behalf. It is Madison's achievement to reconcile the r...