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Book/Printed Material The federalist : a collection of essays, written in favour of the new Constitution, as agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787 : in two volumes

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About this Item

Title

  • The federalist : a collection of essays, written in favour of the new Constitution, as agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787 : in two volumes

Summary

  • The Federalist is considered the most important work on statecraft and political theory ever written by Americans. Seventy-seven of the 85 essays that make up the work appeared in New York newspapers between October 1787 and May 1788 under the pseudonym "Publius." The eight additional essays first appeared in the second volume of the work presented here, and in the newspapers later in 1788. Principally written by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, with some assistance from John Jay, the primary purpose of the essays was to convince the citizens of New York to elect to a state ratifying convention delegates who would favor the new United States Constitution, adopted in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. The essays were rushed into print in book form in two volumes in the spring of 1788, numbers 1-39 as volume 1 on March 22, and numbers 40-85 as volume 2 on May 28. Together these essays, often referred to as The Federalist Papers, form one of the great classics of government, the principal themes of which are federalism, checks and balances, separated powers, pluralism, and popular representation. In part because Hamilton and Madison were important participants in the Philadelphia convention, The Federalist became the most authoritative interpretation of what the drafters of the Constitution intended, one that continues to influence the development and interpretation of American constitutional law. Presented here is Thomas Jefferson's personal copy of the first edition of The Federalist, with notes in his hand indicating his understanding regarding the authorship of each essay. Hamilton left an authorship list with his lawyer before his fatal duel with Aaron Burr, and Madison identified the writer of each essay in his copy of The Federalist. None of these lists agree, and authorship of some of the essays is still being debated by scholars. The New York convention met in Poughkeepsie in June 1788 and on July 26 voted in favor of ratification by the narrow margin of 30 to 27. World Digital Library.

Names

  • Chase, Samuel, 1741-1811, former owner
  • Church, Angelica Schuyler, 1756-1815, former owner
  • Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804
  • Hamilton, Elizabeth Schuyler, 1757-1854, former owner
  • Jay, John, 1745-1829
  • Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826, former owner
  • Madison, James, 1751-1836
  • American Imprint Collection (Library of Congress)
  • John Davis Batchelder Collection (Library of Congress)
  • Thomas Jefferson Library Collection (Library of Congress)

Created / Published

  • New-York : Printed and sold by J. and A. M'Lean ..., MDCCLXXXVIII [1788]

Headings

  • -  United States.--Constitution
  • -  New York (State)--New York

Genre

  • Autographs (Provenance)--DLC

Notes

  • -  First complete edition. cf. The Federalist ... [ed.] by Henry B. Dawson. New York, 1863. Introduction: p. xxiii, lv-lxiii.
  • -  LC copy forms part of the Jefferson Exhibit Collection. Vol. 2, leaf C3 torn across text.
  • -  Vol. 1: vi, 227, [1] p.; v. 2: vi, 384 p.
  • -  English Short Title Catalogue, W5416
  • -  Evans, C. American bibliography, 21127
  • -  Sowerby, E.M. Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson, 3021
  • -  Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site.
  • -  LC copy is Thomas Jefferson's, with his initials at signatures I and T in both volumes. With Jefferson's attributions of all the essays to John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. Formerly belonged to Mrs. Alexander Hamilton (Elizabeth), with her signature in both volumes; and passed onto her sister Angelica Church (cf. inscription in volume 1.) With the Library of Congress's 1815 bookplates.
  • -  LAC nsk 2019-08-20 no edits (2 cards)
  • -  LAC tnb 2021-05-13 update (1 card)

Medium

  • 2 v. ; 17 cm (12mo)

Call Number/Physical Location

  • JK154 1788
  • JK154 1788 Copy 2 2 v. in 1.
  • JK154 1788 Copy 4 2 v. in 1. Gift of the Trustees of Peabody Library, July 18, 1935. From the library of Samuel Chase, with his signature.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 09021562

Online Format

  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

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Credit Line: Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Chase, Samuel, Former Owner, Angelica Schuyler Church, Alexander Hamilton, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, American Imprint Collection, John Davis Batchelder Collection, and Thomas Jefferson Library Collection. The federalist: a collection of essays, written in favour of the new Constitution, as agreed upon by the Federal Convention,: in two volumes. [New-York: Printed and sold by J. and A. M'Lean ..., MDCCLXXXVIII, 1788] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/09021562/.

APA citation style:

Chase, S., Church, A. S., Hamilton, A., Hamilton, E. S., Jay, J., Jefferson, T. [...] Thomas Jefferson Library Collection. (1788) The federalist: a collection of essays, written in favour of the new Constitution, as agreed upon by the Federal Convention,: in two volumes. [New-York: Printed and sold by J. and A. M'Lean ..., MDCCLXXXVIII] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/09021562/.

MLA citation style:

Chase, Samuel, Former Owner, et al. The federalist: a collection of essays, written in favour of the new Constitution, as agreed upon by the Federal Convention,: in two volumes. [New-York: Printed and sold by J. and A. M'Lean ..., MDCCLXXXVIII, 1788] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/09021562/>.