Author: The Federalist was written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison.
Place and Time: The Federalist was first published on November 22, 1787, and went on to be published in a number of American newspapers. Its first publication was in New York.
Prior Knowledge is severely limited. However, as the essay is titled “The Federalist” it is possible to guess that it may be in connection to the Federalists who championed a stronger, more centralized government than that constructed in the Articles of Confederation.
Audience: The document was first intended to primarily reach New York citizens and politicians. It was also distributed among the other colonies. However, as the document explains an important foundation of American political thought, the audience has expanded to include anyone who is, was, or ever will be interested in the basic assumptions behind the American political system.
Reason: The Federalist was part of a larger series intended to convince New Yorkers to ratify the constitution. In response to stiff opposition by the anti-federalists, it sought to justify the form of Republicanism outlined by the Constitution. The Federalist NO. 10 is specifically intended to convince its audience of the effectiveness of Republican government against the ill effects of factions.
The Main Point: Factions (groups of people sharing common ideas and opinions) can be damaging to the well being of a nation as they often sacrifice the rights of society or other groups to protect their own interests. Factions are especially dangerous when composed of a majority. Unfortunately, they will occur almost inevitably in a free society. Therefore, the only way to combat them is to control their power. A Republic is better for this than a direct democracy. Because the election of representatives allows the government to span a vast area and represent many citizens, viewpoints will be very diverse and factions will have difficulty ever achieving a majority.
The Significance: The Federalist, apart from being useful in convincing reluctant states to ratify the Constitution, also outlines some very fundamental parts of American political philosophy. The ideas described in Federalist are some of the many reasons for our Republican system of government. To this day, many also conclude from the Federalist that our founding fathers would be unimpressed by today's partisan government. It is an important example of political thought, and hints strongly of the changes undergone by our government since the time it was written.
