The 85 essays that maker up The Federalist Papers- clearly demonstrate the vital importance of the art of persuasion. Written between 1787 and 1788 by three of the -Founding Fathers- of the United States, the Papers were written with the specific intention of convincing Americans that it was in their interest to back the creation of a strong national government, enshrined in a constitution - and they played a major role in deciding the debate between proponents of a federal state, with its government based on central institutions housed in a single capital, and the supporters of states- rights.
The papers- authors - Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay - believed that centralised government was the only way to knit their newborn country together, while still preserving individual liberties. Closely involved with the politics of the time, they saw a real danger of America splintering, to the detriment of all its citizens.
Given the fierce debates of t
