Along with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, The Federalist Papers laid the foundation for an enduring democracy in America. From 1787 to 1788, Hamilton, Madison, and Jay wrote this series of controversial essays to advocate the popular ratification of the Constitution as a new charter of government. The brilliance of these men and the significance of the issues produced the most important work in political science ever written in the United States.

Created during a time of crisis and penned in haste, these essays remain today a basic source of constitutional law, a clear commentary on the fundamentals of American government, and a great classic of political theory.

This Bantam Classic edition make available the original eighteenth-century text, along with James Madison's never-before-published marginal notations. It also includes the complete text of the Constitution, an outline of the arguments, a glossary of terms, a selected bibliography, and a quick-reference index. Features an introduction and commentary by Garry Willis.