The Debater's Handbook on Building a Strong Nation

Most Americans identify the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence as the most important political documents in the history of the United States. However, without the writings of eloquent and prominent statesmen such as Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, the country we know today may not have existed.

While force and the use of threats ultimately resolved the quarrel, the Federalist Papers were distributed to the upper classes, who ultimately had political control in important and powerful states such as Virginia, Massachusetts, and New York.

The Federalist Papers offers students of politics, foreigners, and others insight into philosophy about liberties, society, and different forms of government. By extrapolating arguments throughout the letters, you can get an idea of why we currently have a two-house legislative system, why states should protect their rights, why four year terms are most effective, and other points which most of us can identify.

At the time of publication for these papers, the former colonies were in disarray after the dismal failure of government under the weak Articles of Confederation, and were in danger of breaking off all political ties. The Federalist Papers can be divided into 4 main arguments: why the Articles of Confederation were bad, reasons for defending the new Constitution, reasons for celebrating a federal government, and some of the benefits and risks inherent in a federal government.

The papers are actually a series of around 85 letters written under the pseudonym of Publius, and were published in the newspapers of New York City from 1787-1788, around the time the Bill of Rights was being constructed.

As a word of caution, The Federalist Papers uses very eloquent language, which at times gets a little convoluted and confusing. It may be necessary to read over each section a few times to get the general idea. Of course, there are other drastic options available, such as Cliff's Notes.

For too long people in the United States have taken for granted the freedoms and privileges they have enjoyed, not bothering to take an instant and reflect the toils and efforts of our forefathers to build a strong, free nation. The Federalist Papers is a great book, and I strongly recommend it.