Publius Picks Up a Pen: The First Federalist Paper

On October 27, 1787, a New York newspaper called the Independent Journal printed an essay signed "Publius." The real writer was Alexander Hamilton. Over the next months he, James Madison, and John Jay wrote 85 essays asking New Yorkers to approve the new U.S. Constitution. They chose a shared pen name so the arguments could stand on their merits—not on faction, fame, or fear of enemies. Sometimes speaking the truth for the public good needs a pen name: anonymity can free hard arguments from private risk.

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