Essay Sample about The Federalist Papers

While attempting to reform and break free of monarchical rule, the Founding Fathers drafted the Articles of Confederation. However, these soon proved to be problematic and reform was necessary. The nation’s capital proposed a constitution, but there proved to be a debate. A group known as the “Federalists” were in support of this ratified Constitution, while a group known as the “Anti-Federalists” opposed the constitution and argued that instead of a central government, there should be small localizations. Alexander Hamilton, a Federalist,  argues that to ensure the preeminence of this new country, the people of America must secure the rights of tomorrow and conserve the formation of the Union by adopting a new Constitution, as the current state of government is insufficient to truly protect the freedoms and liberties of its citizens. Hamilton achieves this through eloquent diction, linear structure, and historical anecdotes.

During this tumultuous time, political turbulence often caught citizens in the crossfire. They were unsure who to trust, listen to, and lay their loyalties with. Alexander Hamilton took advantage of this and wrote his paper as an intellectual. With long sentences and unnecessarily large words, Hamilton seeks to display and prove his intelligence. Additionally, the paper targets the higher class of society, those who could read and have a quality education. By seeming well-educated, Hamilton gains authority over the readers and is more likely to gain their trust. With more trust comes more acceptance of the presented ideas and opinions. Further, Hamilton uses words such as “empire”, “Union”, and “power” to intrigue the citizens hungry for justice(Publius). After being oppressed by the British for numerous years, these citizens also feel that they must prove themselves. The new country of America will rise over Britain and demonstrate the power of growth, intellect, and expansion this new country has. 

While he academically presents his ideas, Hamilton reinforces the cause-and-effect structure of the paper to clearly express his ideas as well as the imminence of the situation. Despite writing for a literate audience, the author recalls that not everyone is familiar with the ways of government. Throughout the paper, he lists six clear reasons as to why the country must immediately ratify this Constitution. For each concept, he briefly outlines the reason for this concept, then goes into detail. By enforcing this direct consequence-like structure, the audience can easily follow Hamilton’s line of reasoning.  As the paper goes on, Hamilton also directly responds to expected refutations made by the Anti-Federalists, exhibiting his scrupulousness and leaving virtually no other rational options besides ratifying the Constitution. Additionally, coming from a humble background, Hamilton knows exactly what the citizens want to hear. He understands the feelings of the common population, as well as the thoughts of those in the high class. This makes him effectively able to respond to the different levels of refutations. Throughout his structure, Hamilton also adds in the arguments of the God-given freedoms and liberties appealing further to the patriots and reminding them of the foundation upon which this country is built on.

Hamilton masterfully employs the use of historical analogies and anecdotes to further stress the gravity of the situation. According to the principle of history repeating itself, America will end in tyranny and demagoguery, as described in the paper (Publius). Hamilton believes that the new country can beat the greatest empires in history, once again appealing to the revolutionaries. If the people do not ratify this Constitution, the country will fall just like Greek and Rome, wasting the sacrifices made by the Revolution. The audience is now drawn in by their hearts as Hamilton insists that this is what will ensure the safety of future generations.

Alexander Hamilton, under the pen name “Publius”, masterfully employs a variety of literary techniques to appeal to the most citizens as he can. He provokes the hearts of patriots and mothers alike while relating to the higher class of government-associated citizens. Using logic, he states examples that follow the trends seen in history, uses a straightforward essay structure to minimize confusion, and astute language to gain the trust of his readers. Hamilton also refutes several arguments before they form in the audience's head, proving his foresight. Hamilton cares about the success of the country as he proudly states that the world “...dips into the future and sees the United States as a world power”(Publius).