I really appreciated the insight into the minds of some of our founding fathers. They were brilliant in coming up with ideas for a brand new country during the period of enlightenment. Unfortunately, because of the changes in our English language overtime, I found it hard multiple times to follow what they were trying to convey since they wrote in a different form of English speech. I still would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about our country’s origins.

In the end, they wrote 85 essays…

As part of the founding documents of this country, these are some of the best reading a person can ever have, next to the Holy Bible.

Read some of the book. Will need to revisit later as well as use as a reference.

Incredible mixture of logic and intense persuasion. While I don't agree with everything (slavery, after all) I admire this marvelous feat. They really know their audience and their history.

I read this because I am reading a biography of all the Presidents in order, and I felt like this fit well into my reading list.

The Federalist Papers were not so much an enjoyable read as an informative read. I found the arguments for the constitution very interesting though at times it was a struggle to get through. I am glad I did get through it.

while I'm a 4th way through the book, I admit I'm disappointed, not over the content, but with what's missing. I thought, when I bought it, it'd be all the federalist papers. I knew they were really just a bunch of essays published in a New York newspaper under the pseudonym 'Plubius', I knew it was written mostly by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, with a few by John Jay. I knew this was basically arguing for New York to ratify the US Constitution without the Bill of Rights, which wasn't written yet.

I just didn't expect this book to be a weeded out version. Beeman did say (of course, after I bought it) that he weeded out what he thought not-so-applicable, mainly because a lot of Hamilton's arguments were against the Articles of Confederation, which America was 'operating' under. Operating in quotes, because America was failing.

When Hamilton/Madison/Jay were writing these essays, America faced all kinds of problems assocated with a too-limited government, too much state power (which they consequently argued against each other), no way to really raise money to pay off debts, which led to Shay's Rebellion. Still, I wonder if some of the Hamilton essays missing from this book may still be applicable against those who subscribe to Grover Norquist's superweak government (shrink it then drown it). Maybe Beeman was right in lopping off those other essays, but reading this chopped up book, you'll never know. I guess I gotta go buy the full edition.

Of course I had to sit down with this after watching Hamilton so many times. I remember reading excerpts of a few of these essays in government or history classes over the years, but I never read the collection in its entirety. I'm glad I did. In the craziness that has become the American political landscape, it is refreshing to look back and read what our founders intended for this country.