The Federalist Papers and Brutus No. 1

During the fight over ratifying the Constitution in 1787-1788, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote 85 essays, now called the Federalist Papers, under the pen name "Publius" to persuade New York voters. In Federalist No. 10, Madison argued that factions, groups pursuing their own interests, are unavoidable, but that a large republic with elected representatives would contain so many competing interests that no single faction could easily dominate. In No. 51, he explained how separation of powers and checks and balances protect liberty: "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition," with federalism adding a second layer of protection. Hamilton argued in No. 70 for a single, energetic executive, and in No. 78 that the judiciary, with lifetime tenure, would be the "least dangerous" branch and could strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution. On the other side, the Anti-Federalist essay Brutus No. 1 warned that a republic as large as the United States could not truly represent its people, and that the necessary and proper clause and the supremacy clause would let the national government swallow up the states. These arguments still shape debates about the size and power of the federal government.

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