Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers in order to persuade the populace to support and ratify the new Constitution, The Federalist Papers were a series of essays printed under the name “Publius." Alexander Hamilton wrote 51 of the essays while James Madison wrote 29, and John Jay wrote 5.
The first two political parties in the United States were the Federalists (who supported the Constitution and generally a strong, central government and the Anti-Federalists (who did not support the Constitution and generally preferred a weak central Government).
Federalists | Anti-Federalists |
Alexander Hamilton | Patrick Henry |
James Madison | Samuel Adams |
John Jay | John Hancock |
George Washington | George Mason |
Benjamin Franklin | Richard Henry Lee |
Gouverneur Morris | Robert Yates |
John Marshall | James Monroe |
James Wilson | Elbridge Gerry |
John Dickinson | Edmund Randolph |
Although not as well organized as the writers of the Federalist Papers, many of the Anti-Federalist Papers were written under the name “Brutus.” “Brutus” was probably Robert Yates. Other pseudonyms were “Cato” (George Clinton), “Centinel” (Samuel Bryan), and “Federal Farmer” (Richard Henry Lee). Mercy Otis Warren called herself “A Columbian Patriot" when she wrote Observations on the New Constitution, a pamphlet comparing the proposed Constitution to British tyranny.