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The Federalist Papers

By Michael Scherer | Published: March 24, 2009

The year is 1787. America is a fledgling confederation of 13 colonies. A new Constitution has been written in Philadelphia, to replace the Articles of Confederation. Do you think that this new constitution should become the supreme law of the land?

Vote: YES or NO

The Federalists want you to vote yes.  As America roils with intense debate on this fateful issue, a series of essays begin to appear in three New York newspapers, written by the mysterious persona Publius. These essays urge the American people to ratify the constitution, explaining and defending it in detail. After their debut in New York, the essays subsequently appear in newspapers across the nation.

We know today that Publius was actually three different people: Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison. Their painstaking efforts to explain and promote the United States Constitution have become a primary source for the interpretation and understanding of the highest law of the United States of America.

Thomas Jefferson called the Federalist Papers the “best commentary on the principles of government which ever was written.”

They are available in their entirety on this site, as audio narrations. Direct links to each essay are provided below. They can also be accessed as an RSS feed, and as an iTunes podcast. All together, these narrations comprise 21 hours 36 minutes of audio, and total 756.9 MB.

Federalist Papers RSS feed

Federalist Papers iTunes podcast

Direct links to the essays:

 

Federalist No. 1
General Introduction

Federalist No. 2
Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence

Federalist No. 3
Concerning Dangers From Foreign Force and Influence, Continued

Federalist No. 4
Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence, Continued

Federalist No. 5
Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence, Continued

Federalist No. 6
Concerning Dangers from Dissensions Between the States

Federalist No. 7
Concerning Dangers from Dissensions Between the States, Continued

Federalist No. 8
The Consequences of Hostilities Between the States

Federalist No. 9
The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection

Federalist No. 10
The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection, Continued

Federalist No. 11
The Utility of the Union in Respect to Commercial Relations and a Navy

Federalist No. 12
The Utility of the Union In Respect to Revenue

Federalist No. 13
Advantage of the Union in Respect to Economy in Government

Federalist No. 14
Objections to the Proposed Constitution From Extent of Territory Answered

Federalist No. 15
The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union

Federalist No. 16
The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union, Continued

Federalist No. 17
The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union, Continued

Federalist No. 18
The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union, Continued

Federalist No. 19
The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union, Continued

Federalist No. 20
The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union, Continued

Federalist No. 21
Other Defects of the Present Confederation

Federalist No. 22
Other Defects of the Present Confederation, Continued

Federalist No. 23
The Necessity of a Government as Energetic as the One Proposed to the Preservation of the Union

Federalist No. 24
The Powers Necessary to the Common Defense Further Considered

Federalist No. 25
The Powers Necessary to the Common Defense Further Considered, Continued

Federalist No. 26
The Idea of Restraining the Legislative Authority in Regard to the Common Defense Considered

Federalist No. 27
The Idea of Restraining the Legislative Authority in Regard to the Common Defense Considered, Continued

Federalist No. 28
The Idea of Restraining the Legislative Authority in Regard to the Common Defense Considered, Continued

Federalist No. 29
Concerning the Militia

Federalist No. 30
Concerning the General Power of Taxation

Federalist No. 31
Concerning the General Power of Taxation, Continued

Federalist No. 32
Concerning the General Power of Taxation, Continued

Federalist No. 33
Concerning the General Power of Taxation, Continued

Federalist No. 34
Concerning the General Power of Taxation, Continued

Federalist No. 35
Concerning the General Power of Taxation, Continued

Federalist No. 36
Concerning the General Power of Taxation, Continued

Federalist No. 37
Concerning the Difficulties of the Convention in Devising a Proper Form of Government

Federalist No. 38
The Same Subject Continued, and the Incoherence of the Objections to the New Plan Exposed

Federalist No. 39
The Conformity of the Plan to Republican Principles

Federalist No. 40
The Powers of the Convention to Form a Mixed Government Examined and Sustained

Federalist No. 41
General View of the Powers Conferred by the Constitution

Federalist No. 42
The Powers Conferred by the Constitution Further Considered

Federalist No. 43
The Powers Conferred by the Constitution Further Considered, Continued

Federalist No. 44
Restrictions on the Authority of the Several States

Federalist No. 45
The Alleged Danger From the Powers of the Union to the State Governments Considered

Federalist No. 46
The Influence of the State and Federal Governments Compared

Federalist No. 47
The Particular Structure of the New Government and the Distribution of Power Among Its Different Parts

Federalist No. 48
These Departments Should Not Be So Far Separated as to Have No Constitutional Control Over Each Other

Federalist No. 49
Method of Guarding Against the Encroachments of Any One Department of Government by Appealing to the People Through a Convention

Federalist No. 50
Periodic Appeals to the People Considered

Federalist No. 51
The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments

Federalist No. 52
The House of Representatives

Federalist No. 53
The House of Representatives, Continued

Federalist No. 54
The Apportionment of Members Among the States

Federalist No. 55
The Total Number of the House of Representatives

Federalist No. 56
The Total Number of the House of Representatives, Continued

Federalist No. 57
The Alleged Tendency of the New Plan to Elevate the Few at the Expense of the Many Considered in Connection with Representation

Federalist No. 58
Objection That The Number of Members Will Not Be Augmented as the Progress of Population Demands Considered

Federalist No. 59
Concerning the Power of Congress to Regulate the Election of Members

Federalist No. 60
Concerning the Power of Congress to Regulate the Election of Members, Continued

Federalist No. 61
Concerning the Power of Congress to Regulate the Election of Members, Continued

Federalist No. 62
The Senate

Federalist No. 63
The Senate Continued

Federalist No. 64
The Powers of the Senate

Federalist No. 65
The Powers of the Senate Continued

Federalist No. 66
Objections to the Power of the Senate To Set as a Court for Impeachments Further Considered

Federalist No. 67
The Executive Department

Federalist No. 68
The Mode of Electing the President

Federalist No. 69
The Real Character of the Executive

Federalist No. 70
The Executive Department Further Considered

Federalist No. 71
The Duration in Office of the Executive

Federalist No. 72
The Same Subject Continued, and Re-Eligibility of the Executive Considered

Federalist No. 73
The Provision For The Support of the Executive, and the Veto Power

Federalist No. 74
The Command of the Military and Naval Forces, and the Pardoning Power of the Executive

Federalist No. 75
The Treaty Making Power of the Executive

Federalist No. 76
The Appointing Power of the Executive

Federalist No. 77
The Appointing Power Continued and Other Powers of the Executive Considered

Federalist No. 78
The Judiciary Department

Federalist No. 79
The Judiciary Department Continued

Federalist No. 80
The Powers of the Judiciary

Federalist No. 81
The Judiciary Continued, and the Distribution of the Judicial Authority

Federalist No. 82
The Judiciary Continued

Federalist No. 83
The Judiciary Continued in Relation to Trial by Jury

Federalist No. 84
Certain General and Miscellaneous Objections to the Constitution Considered and Answered

Federalist No. 85
Concluding Remarks

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Common Sense

By Michael Scherer | Published: March 22, 2009

Common Sense was a 48 page pamphlet published January 10, 1776. Thomas Paine published it anonymously because it was treasonous. It urged the American colonists to break away from the tyranny of Britain.

The pamphlet became a runaway bestseller, with half a million sold in its first year. Paine donated the royalties from it to George Washington’s Continental Army. Read More »

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The U.S. Constitution

By Michael Scherer | Published: March 22, 2009

The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. It defines the three branches of government – executive, legislative, and judicial – as well the rights of the states. This document is the foundation of the United States Government.

The Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787. It has been amended 27 times. The first ten amendments are commonly referred to as the Bill of Rights. All of the amendments are included in the Americana Phonic narration. Read More »

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Gettysburg Address

By Michael Scherer | Published: March 22, 2009

The Gettysburg Address was delivered by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, four months after the great Battle of Gettysburg. The Soldiers’ National Cemetary in Gettysburg was being dedicated, and the date was November 19, 1863. It is one of the most famous speeches in United States history. I cannot recall any time when so much was expressed in so few words. Read More »

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Declaration of Independence

By Michael Scherer | Published: March 22, 2009

The Declaration of Independence is an announcement that the thirteen American colonies are independent, and no longer part of the British Empire.

The wording of the declaration was approved by Congress on July 4, 1776. This was more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.

Thomas Jefferson is cited as the primary author of this document, but he did consult with others to produce the final draft. Read More »

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Typee by Herman Melville

By Michael Scherer | Published: March 21, 2009

Typee was Herman Melville’s first book, recounting how he jumped ship in the Marquesas Islands in 1842, to become captive of a cannibal island tribe. It was Melville’s most popular work during his lifetime. The author was awed and charmed by the strangeness and beauty of the island and its people. Many sought to discredit the work, calling it a total fabrication. But a rebuttal came when its events were corroborated by Melville’s fellow castaway, Richard T. Greene, who appears in the story as the character Toby. Read More »

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  • About the audio here

    This site provides audio narrations of both American historical works and current government publications. The Historical Works are free, while the Current Publications cost a small amount of money and are available for checkout through E-junkie.
    The audio on this site is in the AAC format. This choice over MP3 was in part to allow the longer recordings to be divided into chapters. The audio was formatted in Garage Band, so it's especially iPod-friendly.