A Debate for the Ages

The Constitution is published after months of hard work, and there is lots of push back. Opposition to many of its aspects comes even from leading citizens, including Sam Adams, John Hancock, and Patrick Henry. Essays opposing the Constitution appear within only a few days after it is published for Americans to read. They are principled, thoughtful, and persuasive articles. What will those who wrote the Constitution do about this?
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay band together and write responses to all of the opposition writing, These come down to us as the Federalist Papers. Their work is relevant to our day, quoted often by courts, academics, politicians.
This episode provides a glimpse into that greatest debate, what may be the high point of the entire period of our nation's founding.