A note for the classroom
For teachers
The papers, ready for class.
The AP-required Federalist essays, full text, one click each — with discussion questions built in.
Every Federalist essay on the AP U.S. Government required list is here in full — free, readable, no logins, no ads. It works on school networks, library desktops, and the phones students actually read on.
The required documents, one click each
Four of the AP U.S. Government required foundational documents are Federalist essays. All four are below, complete, with companion notes.
Federalist No. 10: Faction and the Large Republic
Why liberty produces faction, and why a large republic is the remedy — the argument the rest of the course keeps citing.
Federalist No. 51: Checks and Balances
Ambition made to counteract ambition — and “if men were angels,” in its original context.
Federalist No. 70: Energy in the Executive
Hamilton’s case for a single, energetic executive: speed, secrecy, and one person to hold accountable.
Federalist No. 78: The Judiciary and Judicial Review
Lifetime tenure, the “least dangerous” branch, and judicial review argued before Marbury existed.
The required list pairs these four with Brutus No. 1, the Anti-Federalist opening argument. It is not part of this edition yet, so for now: read Brutus No. 1 at Teaching American History .
Built for reading, not scrolling
The original words, with a companion beside them
Each paper keeps its complete original text and adds a short plain-English note: the argument in a nutshell, its key moves, and one discussion question — sized to work as a bell-ringer.
A clean Reader mode
One comfortable column in modern type, with five text sizes. The 1780s newspaper setting is one tap away when you want the period in the room.
Nothing to manage
Reading progress stays on the student’s own device. No accounts to create, no passwords to reset, nothing for the district to unblock.
Discussion questions included
Every paper’s companion note ends with one question under the heading “Talk it over” — not a comprehension check, but a genuine open question the essay raises for the present day. From the companion to No. 10:
“Does multiplying interests still prevent majority oppression, or can modern organization overcome that safeguard?”
Free means free
No ads, no cost, no accounts, no tracking beyond cookieless analytics — and the whole site is open source. It began as a family reading project, and that story is on the About page.
And if the papers hook you personally, they’re available by email — one a week, or each on its original 1787–88 publication date.