
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. The Constitution, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government. Its first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, whereby the federal government is divided into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress ; the executive, consisting of the president and subordinate officers ; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. Article IV, Article V and Article VI embody concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the states in relationship to the federal government, and the shared process of constitutional amendment. Article VII establishes the procedure subsequently used by the thirteen States to ratify it. It is regarded as the oldest written and codified national constitution in force.

Federalist No. 1 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, which became the first of a collection of essays named The Federalist Papers. It was published on October 27, 1787, under the pseudonym Publius. This paper provides the outline for the rest and argues for the inadequacy of the Articles of Confederation.

Federalist No. 2 is an essay written by John Jay, the second of The Federalist Papers, a series of 85 essays arguing for the ratification of the United States Constitution. These essays, written by Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, were published under the pseudonym "Publius". Federalist No. 2, titled "Concerning Dangers From Foreign Force and Influence", was published on October 31, 1787, as the first of five essays written by Jay where he addresses the advantages of a unified government over separate sovereignties. He discusses how an undivided country enforces laws with more efficiency, resolves conflicts, and gives better protection from foreign influences.

Federalist No. 3, titled The Same Subject Continued: Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence, is an essay by John Jay, the third of The Federalist Papers. It was published in The Independent Journal on November 3, 1787, under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. This is the second of four essays by Jay on the utility of the Union in protecting Americans against foreign aggression and meddling.

Federalist No. 4 is an essay by John Jay, the fourth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on November 7, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. It is the third of four essays by Jay discussing the protection of the United States from dangerous foreign influence, especially military force. It is titled, "The Same Subject Continued: Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence".

Federalist No. 5 is an essay by John Jay, the fifth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on November 10, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. It is the last of four essays by Jay discussing the protection of the United States from dangerous foreign influence, especially military force. It is titled "The Same Subject Continued: Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence".

Federalist No. 6 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the sixth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on November 14, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. Arguing for the importance of the Union to the well-being of Americans, Hamilton addresses a theme continued in Federalist No. 7: the danger of dissension among the states if they remain without a strong federal government. No. 6 is titled "Concerning Dangers from Dissensions Between the States"

Federalist No. 7 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the seventh of The Federalist Papers. It was published on November 15, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. Arguing for the importance of the Union to the well-being of Americans, Hamilton addresses a theme begun in Federalist No. 6: the danger of dissension among the states if they remain without a strong federal government. Hamilton closes by arguing that given time, a collection of un-unified states would descend into the same entanglements of European politics and wars.

Federalist No. 8 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the eighth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on November 20, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. In it, Hamilton argues for the utility of the Union to the well-being of Americans, specifically addressing the negative consequences if the Union were to collapse and conflict arise between the states. It is titled "Consequences of Hostilities Between the States".

Federalist No. 9 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the ninth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on November 21, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. Federalist No. 9 is titled "The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection". The same subject is continued in the subsequent paper by James Madison, Federalist No. 10. Similar to Federalist No. 51, this paper emphasizes the importance of establishing a system of checks and balances in order to ensure that the government is intact and operating smoothly.

Federalist No. 10 is an essay written by James Madison as the tenth of The Federalist Papers, a series of essays initiated by Alexander Hamilton arguing for the ratification of the United States Constitution. Published on November 22, 1787 under the name "Publius", Federalist No. 10 is among the most highly regarded of all American political writings.

Federalist No. 11 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the eleventh of The Federalist Papers. It was published on November 23, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. It is titled "The Utility of the Union in Respect to Commercial Relations and a Navy".

Federalist No. 12 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the twelfth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on November 27, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. It is titled "The Utility of the Union In Respect to Revenue".

Federalist No. 13 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the thirteenth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on November 28, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. It is titled "Advantage of the Union in Respect to Economy in Government".

Federalist No. 14 is an essay by James Madison titled "Objections to the Proposed Constitution From Extent of Territory Answered". This essay is the fourteenth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on November 30, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. It addresses a major objection of the Anti-Federalists to the proposed United States Constitution: that the sheer size of the United States would make it impossible to govern justly as a single country. Madison touched on this issue in Federalist No. 10 and returns to it in this essay.

Federalist No. 15 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the fifteenth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on December 1, 1787, under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. No. 15 addresses the failures of the Articles of Confederation to satisfactorily govern the United States; it is the first of six essays on this topic. It is titled "The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union".

Federalist No. 16, titled "The Same Subject Continued: The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union", is an essay by Alexander Hamilton. It is one of the eighty-five articles collected in the document The Federalist Papers. The entire collection of papers was written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. Federalist Paper No. 16 was published on December 4, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius. According to James Madison, "the immediate object of them was to vindicate and recommend the new Constitution to the State of [New York] whose ratification of the instrument, was doubtful, as well as important". In addition, the articles were written and addressed "To the People of New York".

Federalist No. 17 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the seventeenth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on December 5, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. No. 17 addresses the failures of the Articles of Confederation to satisfactorily govern the United States; it is the third of six essays on this topic. It is titled "The Same Subject Continued: The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union".

Federalist No. 18 is an essay by James Madison, the eighteenth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on December 7, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. No. 18 addresses the failures of the Articles of Confederation to satisfactorily govern the United States; it is the fourth of six essays on this topic. It is titled "The Same Subject Continued: The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union". Madison draws historical parallels between the Confederation and Ancient Greece, where both the Amphictyonic League and the Achaean League ended in tyranny and disintegration. This illustrates the importance of a closer union.

Federalist No. 19 is an essay by James Madison, the nineteenth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on December 8, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. No. 19 addresses the failures of the Articles of Confederation to satisfactorily govern the United States; it is the fifth of six essays on this topic. It is titled "The Same Subject Continued: The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union". Contemporary comparisons are made with "the Germanic body", a community of sovereigns that support a feeble and precarious union; Poland, unfit for self-government and self-defense; and Switzerland, in practice a severed league due to differences of religion.

Federalist No. 20 is an essay by James Madison, the twentieth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on December 11, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. No. 20 addresses the failures of the Articles of Confederation to satisfactorily govern the United States; it is the last of six essays on this topic. It is titled "The Same Subject Continued: The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union".

Federalist No. 21, written by Alexander Hamilton, highlights the defects in the Articles of Confederation. It was published on December 12, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. It is titled "Other Defects of the Present Confederation", and explains how the Articles of Confederation failed in 3 ways: by not giving the government enough power to enforce its laws, that the states do not have a guarantee of their rights, and how the states can simply ignore the tax quotas set by the government.

Federalist No. 22 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the twenty-second of The Federalist Papers. It was published on December 14, 1787 under the pseudonym "Publius", the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. This essay continues with a theme started in Federalist No. 21. It is titled "The Same Subject Continued: Other Defects of the Present Confederation".

Federalist No. 23 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the twenty-third of The Federalist Papers. It was published on December 18, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. One of the more significant essays in the series, No. 23 attempts to justify the increased strength of the federal government under the proposed United States Constitution, compared to the then-active Articles of Confederation. The paper is entitled "The Necessity of a Government as Energetic as the One Proposed to the Preservation of the Union".

Federalist No. 24 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the twenty-fourth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on December 19, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. It is titled "The Powers Necessary to the Common Defense Further Considered".

Federalist No. 25 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the twenty-fifth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on December 21, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. It continues the discussion begun in Federalist No. 24. No. 25 is titled "The Same Subject Continued: The Powers Necessary to the Common Defense Further Considered".

Federalist No. 26 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the twenty-sixth of The Federalist Papers. It was published on December 22, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. This is the first of three essays discussing the threat to the common good stemming from excessive restraint on legislative authority. It is titled "The Idea of Restraining the Legislative Authority in Regard to the Common Defense Considered".

Federalist No. 27 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton, the twenty-seventh of The Federalist Papers. It was published on December 25, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. This is the second of three essays discussing the threat to the common good stemming from excessive restraint on legislative authority. It is titled "The Same Subject Continued: The Idea of Restraining the Legislative Authority in Regard to the Common Defense Considered".

Federalist No. 28 is an essay attributed to Alexander Hamilton, the twenty-eighth of The Federalist Papers. It was published in The Independent Journal on December 26, 1787 under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all The Federalist papers were published. This is the last of three essays discussing the threat to the common good stemming from excessive restraint on legislative authority. It is titled "The Same Subject Continued: The Idea of Restraining the Legislative Authority in Regard to the Common Defense Considered".

The Federalist Papers is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution. The collection was commonly known as The Federalist until the name The Federalist Papers emerged in the 20th century.

The Northwest Ordinance enacted July 13, 1787, was an organic act of the Congress of the Confederation of the United States. It created the Northwest Territory, the new nation's first organized incorporated territory, from lands beyond the Appalachian Mountains, between British North America and the Great Lakes to the north and the Ohio River to the south. The upper Mississippi River formed the territory's western boundary. Pennsylvania was the eastern boundary.

Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts and Worcester in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry and in opposition to the state government's increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades; the fight took place mostly in and around Springfield during 1786 and 1787. American Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays led four thousand rebels in a protest against economic and civil rights injustices. Shays was a farmhand from Massachusetts at the beginning of the Revolutionary War; he joined the Continental Army, saw action at the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Battle of Bunker Hill, and Battles of Saratoga, and was eventually wounded in action.