Artist: John Vanderlyn (1775-1852) https://www.whitehousehistory.org/photos/james-madison
Author: Myles Peckham
Interviewer: Carly Chisholm
It is not their immediate impact on voters at the time of the ratification of the Constitution that The Federalist Papers are famous for. Instead, it is the insight they provide into the minds of the men who created the United States that make them crucial historical documents. The essays aid in explaining the aims of the founders and what guided them in the building of a new framework designed to harmonize individual and collective action. In particular, Federalist No. 9 and 10 discuss the core point of contention of the ratification debates: factions and the threats they pose to the newly-proposed republican government.