Revisiting The Federalist Papers with Madame Publius
In simple terms, The Federalist Papers are a collection of 85 letters written to the New York newspapers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay. (James Madison is revered by many as the Father of the Constitution.) It would not be completely wrong to say that these 85 letters are analogous to someone writing a series of letters to the editor in our time promoting their political beliefs. The original purpose of the 85 letters was to advocate adoption of the “New Constitution”. Over time, these letters ended up providing great insight into the understanding of the Constitution itself and the philosophies of good government. Thomas Jefferson himself stated that The Federalist Papers were “the best commentary on the principles of government, which ever was written.”
Hamilton, Madison, and Jay all wrote The Federalist Papers under the same pen name — Publius. Publius Valerius was a founder of the Roman Republic who was popular in his day. They chose this pseudonym most likely because there were people who did not like the three of them, and they probably feared that those antagonists would harm their chances to persuade the public to adopt the new Constitution.
The Founding Fathers gave us a gift that few truly appreciate and understand. Whether we realize it or not, they are our Fathers, and we are their political sons and daughters. As such, it is imperative that we look to them regularly and always remember the sacrifices they made for us and the gifts they left behind. No one would argue that The Federalist Papers are difficult to understand. Few people today have even heard of The Federalist Papers and fewer still have ever read them. Those who have tried give up easily, because of the difficulty. This reality is dangerous, since we can never remain free as long as we remain uninformed.
Thomas Jefferson said it best when he declared that “if a nation expects to be ignorant and free . . . it expects what never was and never will be.” Our ignorance of “the best commentary on the principles of government” is one of the reasons for the current downfall of our nation which is now hurtling toward the dark and disparaging pit of communism.
Madame Publius has chosen to revisit these writings in an effort to simplify and amplify their teachings in the hopes of helping to halt this ungodly descent by pointing out the subtle pitfalls confronting us as a nation with their writings.
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