The Cambridge Companion to The Federalist

A multifaceted approach to The Federalist that covers both its historical value and its continuing political relevance.

Full of insights and information for scholars, students, and citizens, this volume is a guide to understanding the constitutional design, purpose, and institutional practices envisioned by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay - the authors of The Federalist.The eighty-five Federalist essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison as 'Publius' to support the ratification of the Constitution in 1787–88 are regarded as the preeminent American contribution to Western political theory. Recently, there have been major developments in scholarship on the Revolutionary and Founding era as well as increased public interest in constitutional matters that make this a propitious moment to reflect on the contributions and complexity of The Federalist. This volume of specially commissioned essays covers the broad scope of 'Publius' work, including historical, political, philosophical, juridical, and moral dimensions. In so doing, they bring the design and arguments of the text into focus for twenty-first century scholars, students, and citizens and show how these diverse treatments of The Federalist are associated with an array of substantive political and constitutional perspectives in our own time.