First Edition, with volumes I and II bound together. This influential work on politics and government was published in 1788 in book form, entitled, “The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, as Agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787.”

“The Federalist” is a collection of eighty-five essays written anonymously by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the pseudonym Publius. Seventy-seven of the eighty-five essays first appeared consecutively in the “Independent Journal” and the “New York Packet” between October 1787 and August 1788. The remaining eight were published when the essays were compiled into book form. The essays were written to promote and garner support for the ratification of the United States Constitution which would replace the Articles of Confederation, the agreement between the thirteen original states of the United States that was ratified in 1777. The Articles placed restrictions on the central government and rendered it ineffective, which left many states and their citizens unsatisfied. With the help of “The Federalist” and its commentary, the Constitution, drafted in 1787, was ratified on June 21, 1788.

The importance of “The Federalist” cannot be overstated in American history as it helped usher in a new form of government that places the government’s power in the hands of the citizens.