“I propose, in a series of papers, to discuss the following interesting particulars: The utility of the Union to your political prosperity; the insufficiency of the present Confederation to preserve that Union; the necessity of a government at least equally energetic with the one proposed, to the attainment of this object; the conformity of the proposed Constitution to the true principles of republican government; its analogy to your own state constitution; and lastly, the additional security which its adoption will afford to the preservation of that species of government, to liberty, and to property.”
“The Federalist Papers” has long been one of my favorite books. More than any other book, it helped to get the Constitution ratified by the thirteen states. But the importance of the Federalist Papers transcends the ratification debates. It is a timeless work, because it explains the intended purposes of virtually every clause in the Constitution, which is still the law of the land today. It is the most important work written by the Founding Fathers about the Constitution, and is used to interpret the intended meaning of the document today. Since this is an area of major controversy, this debate is one of the most practical in all of American politics.
I had already read the Federalist Papers themselves, before I ever listened to this audiobook. But I wanted to hear this audiobook anyway, because it helps to place this great work into the context of its times. Indeed, this is the chief advantage of virtually all of the Knowledge Products audiobooks that I have ever listened to. Very often, this involves biographical information about the author of the work discussed. But there were multiple authors involved in the writing of the Federalist Papers. Thus, it would have been harder to do such biographical information here.
James Madison, who wrote nearly half of the Federalist Papers
More specifically, there were three men who were involved in the writing of the Federalist Papers. These were Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. If you want biographical information about James Madison, there are many available books on the subject, as well as my own blog post on the subject (for anyone who is interested). If you want biographical information about Alexander Hamilton, you can read a book on the subject (such as the famous one by Ron Chernow, which I have not read), or watch PBS’s documentary about Alexander Hamilton (which I review here). It would be somewhat harder to find information about John Jay, although books about him are out there if you know where to look.
John Jay, who wrote a few of the Federalist Papers
Alexander Hamilton, who wrote more than half of the Federalist Papers
So you might be wondering: If they don’t spend time giving biographies of these three authors, then how do they place this work into the context of its times? This is an excellent question, and there is a good answer for it. They talk about the story behind the writing of the Federalist Papers, with Alexander Hamilton choosing to write under the pen name “Publius” (as he had some years before). They discuss how Hamilton actually approached Gouverneur Morris and William Duer about contributing to the Federalist Papers. But Gouverneur Morris turned down the opportunity to do so, and Hamilton later rejected some essays written by William Duer. William Duer would later write under the name of “Philo-Publius,” or “Friend of Publius,” instead.) Eventually, Hamilton enlisted the help of both James Madison and John Jay, the men who eventually did collaborate with him on the Federalist Papers. (More on this story here.)
Gouverneur Morris, who turned down the opportunity to write a portion of the Federalist Papers
William Duer, who wrote three essays that Hamilton later rejected as part of the Federalist Papers
But giving historical context is only part of what this audiobook does. They also discuss some of the theoretical contributions of the Federalist Papers, and the insights that the work provides into the United States Constitution. There are a few parts of the Federalist Papers that have not aged well today, such as Hamilton’s objections to a Bill of Rights. This is one of the few parts of the Federalist Papers that this audiobook actually disapproves of. But generally, this audiobook is very supportive of the Federalist Papers, and this is as it should be. They help to show what a great work it is, and what a massive influence it has enjoyed.
Newspaper advertisement for the Federalist Papers
Title page of the Federalist Papers
Nonetheless, the chief advantage of this audiobook is its placing of the work into its historical context, and helping one to understand the story behind it. In this respect, it provides some insights that are not available in the work itself, although I highly recommend reading “The Federalist Papers” themselves if you’re interested in the Constitution. They may be the most important writings about the United States Constitution. This audiobook is a great introduction both to the Federalist Papers, and to the Constitution that they so well describe.
Some quotes from the Federalist Papers:
“It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force.”
– Alexander Hamilton, in the Federalist Papers (Federalist No. 1)
“The real wonder [of the Constitutional Convention] is that so many difficulties should have been surmounted, and surmounted with a unanimity almost as unprecedented as it must have been unexpected. It is impossible for any man of candor to reflect on this circumstance without partaking of the astonishment. It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution.”
– James Madison, in the Federalist Papers (Federalist No. 37)
If you liked this post, you might also like:
Part of the audiobook series
The Giants of Political Thought
The Federalist Papers
Others to be covered later
See also the audiobook series
The United States Constitution
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