Name: ________________________
Date: ___________________
Pd: _____
The Federalist Papers were a series of eighty-five essays urging the citizens of New York to ratify the new United States
Constitution. Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, the essays originally appeared anonymously
in New York newspapers in 1787 and 1788 under the pen name "Publius." A bound edition of the essays was first
published in 1788, but it was not until the 1818 edition published by the printer Jacob Gideon that the authors of each
essay were identified by name. The Federalist Papers are considered one of the most important sources for interpreting
and understanding the original intent of the Constitution.
excerpt Federalist Paper No. 51- by James Madison
It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its
rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. Different
interests necessarily exist in different classes of citizens. If a majority be united by a common
interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure. There are but two methods of providing
against this evil: the one by creating a will in the community independent of the majority—
that is, of the society itself; the other, by comprehending [understanding] in the society so
many separate descriptions of citizens as will render an unjust combination of a majority of
the whole very improbable, if not impracticable… [not practical or realistic].
Whilst [While] all authority in it will be derived from and dependent on the society, the
society itself will be broken into so many parts, interest and classes of citizens, that the rights
of individuals, or of the minority, will be in little danger from interested combinations of the
majority. In a free government the security for civil rights must be the same as that for
religious rights. It consists in the one case in the multiplicity of interests, and in the other in
the multiplicity of sects… [large number of groups].
Creating America: A History of the United States
1. What is James Madison’s message from the reading?
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2. What quote supports that message?
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