The Federalist Papers are a series of 85 articles advocating the ratification of the United States Constitution. Seventy-seven of the essays were published serially in The Independent Journal and The New York Packet between October 1787 and August 1788. A compilation of these and eight others, called The Federalist; or, The New Constitution, was published in two volumes in 1788 by J. and A. McLean. The series's correct title is The Federalist; the title The Federalist Papers did not emerge until the twentieth century.

The Federalist remains a primary source for interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, as the essays outline a lucid and compelling version of the philosophy and motivation of the proposed system of government. The authors of The Federalist wanted both to influence the vote in favor of ratification and to shape future interpretations of the Constitution. According to historian Richard B. Morris, they are an "incomparable exposition of the Constitution, a classic in political science unsurpassed in both breadth and depth by the product of any later American writer."

The articles were written by:

• Alexander Hamilton (51 articles: nos. 1, 6–9, 11–13, 15–17, 21–36, 59–61, and 65–85)
• James Madison (29 articles: nos. 10, 14, 37–58, and 62–63), and
• John Jay (5 articles: 2–5 and 64).
• Nos. 18–20 were the result of a collaboration between Madison and Hamilton.

The authors used the pseudonym "Publius," in honor of Roman consul Publius Valerius Publicola. Madison, whom posterity generally credits as the father of the Constitution, became the fourth President of the United States. Hamilton was an active delegate at the Constitutional Convention, and in 1789 became the first Secretary of the Treasury, a post he held till his resignation in 1795. John Jay, the secretary for foreign affairs under the Articles of Confederation from 1784 through 1789, became the first Chief Justice of the United States in 1789, stepping down in 1795 to accept election as governor of New York, a post he held for two terms, retiring in 1801.

(Taken from Wikipedia)