Ratification Concerns
When the Constitution was completed by the Second Continental Congress it was sent to the states for ratification. Though there were many that supported the new federal government there were those who had serious reservations. There was very little information on the new government for the people to consider when making their decision. The meetings to draft the document were held in secret so that until it was ready for ratification few had any idea what they were to be voting on.
The Authors
With ratification of the Constitution in jeopardy an effort was undertaken to sway the public to support the new government. The state of New York had many who were on the fence regarding ratification and those who outright opposed the new system. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay undertook to write a series of “letters” to the newspapers in the state to explain and encourage. The importance of the documents resulted in various newspapers in other states reprinting the material. The Federalist Papers were written under the nom de plume “Publius.” The reference was to the Roman Publius Valerius Publicola who helped to establish the Roman Republic. There was an effort to make the letters cohesive as though they had one author rather than three. For the three, the issue at hand was more important than the diversion that would be created if their authorship was made known.
Anti-Federalists
Opposition to the new government was grouped under the moniker “Anti-Federalist” and encompassed those with slight concern to those who violently opposed the new form. This was a new experiment in government, for many an experiment they were unwilling to take part in. The Revolution still hung in the air; the principles that were fought for were dear. For those that had fought to be free from British rule this new government seemed like a return to the old regime rather than an opportunity to form a union that would stabilize the fledgling nation.
The Letters
The Federalist Papers were the first real explanation of the new government for the public. The first of the eighty five letters were printed on October 27, 1787 addressed “To the People of the State of New York.” They stressed the inadequacy of the Articles of the Confederation and the need for the new system devised at the convention. They were a treatise on government principles in general and swayed the public support to the side of ratification.
Explained were fundamental concepts like the balance of powers and the role of leaders. The principles of a republican form of government and a reiteration of the concepts of liberty and property were included which helped allay the fears of the unknown. The letters would be used from that point on to indicate the intent of the founders regarding the Constitution. The courts and the public had insight into the ideology and motivation of the new form and would use the letters to direct judgments and policy. The doors may have been locked on the discussions to craft the Constitution but in the end the country was provided with the insight it needed to understand and adopt the governing document.
Sources:
Johnson, Thomas H. The Oxford Companion to American History. New York: Oxford University Press, 1966.
Rossiter, Clinton, ed. The Federalist Papers. New York: Mentor, 1999
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