[The essays that made up The Federalist were written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay. They were written to advocate the ratification of the Constitution. The supporters of the Constitution were worried about carrying New York because the state appeared to have a majority of Anti-Federalists, those opposed to the ratification of the Constitution. Most of the essays were first published in a number of New York newspapers, The Independent Journal, The Daily Advertiser, The New York Packet, and The New York Journal and Daily Patriotic Register. They began with the greeting, "To the People of the State of New York," and were signed "Publius." The essays were then published together in two volumes by John McLean and Co. The Federalist was used in other states as a handbook for Federalists. They drew arguments from it in support of the Constitution for debates in state legislatures and ratifying conventions. It has since become a classic as a commentary on interpreting the Constitution and as a contribution in political and constitutional theory.
The following excerpts are from numbers 10, 39, and 51, written by Madison. Number 10 includes a discussion on liberty, how humans divide into factions, and how an extended republic resolves problems caused by factions. Number 39 includes a discussion on how the newly proposed governmental system would be in some ways national or consolidated and in some ways federal (which provides a good explanation of how the Great Compromise was manifested in the Constitution). Number 51 includes a discussion of checks and balances, continues on the theme of the extended republic, and notes how diversity and multiplicity can check intolerance and persecution.]
James Madison, Essays in The Federalist
If you would like to read further in The Federalist, either the whole of numbers 10, 39, or 51, or any of the other essays in the series, or you would like to download segments or all of The Federalist, see the following links. Several of these also include search engines for running a search within The Federalist.
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The Federalist, complete online collection
American Revolution, Hypertext on American History
This site includes a brief description of each essay.