Review of ‘The Federalist Papers’

Posted on December 9, 2017 Updated on December 1, 2017

Every American politician, judge, government official and practicing lawyer should be required to read The Federalist Papers. In fact, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for every American to read these 85 essays, written by Founding Fathers Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in 1787-88 to persuade the American public to ratify the Constitution to replace the weak and ineffective Articles of Confederation. Addressing various aspects of governance, and how they would be dealt with under the new Constitution, even more than two centuries later, they contain a lot of wisdom and food for thought–particularly in our current political climate.

It’s been many years since I read these, so when I received a free copy of this Amazon Classic, it seemed like a good opportunity to refresh my knowledge of the subject. Though written in the infancy of this country, many of the issues they address are appropriate today.

I give this outstanding course in U.S. constitutional history five stars.